Everyone Needs Light
by SuperTrashNoLie
Summary: New sidekicks Robin and Kid Flash are patrolling Gotham when they meet a young Starfire; follow the trio's journey from sidekicks to heroes. Will include team bonding, Allen family fluff, and Kori trying to find her place in the middle of it all. Trio-centric, not a Teen Titans crossover, eventual birdflash, healthy doses of Alfred, Roy, and Hal.
1. Chapter 1

**I just want to make it clear that this version of Starfire is NOT the same as the one from Teen Titans. I've played around with her backstory, too. There will be birdflash, but not for a long time, so if that's not your thing don't worry. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

As per usual in Wally's life, everything was going great until it wasn't.

It was the first time he'd been allowed to patrol without supervision, and only the second time he'd been allowed to patrol at all in Gotham. One second he was running around the city with Rob on his back, messing with petty criminals and toeing the line of every rule his uncle had ever given him, and the next there was a flaming crater in the middle of a park about a block away. And Wally knew, just _knew,_ that Batman would find a way to blame him for it. The man had it out for him, despite Robin's protests, and the mere fact that Wally had been present at the time of The Incident was as damning as soot covered hands.

Robin, the lenses of his domino mask as large as Wally had ever seen them, stared at the crater in horror. Or confusion. Or awe. Wally really couldn't tell. He'd known the nine (and-three-quarters, _shut up,_ KF) year old for only about two months. He still had a ways to go in mask-reading.

"Batman is going to kill us,"

"Me," Wally corrected, pointing towards his own chest. "He's gonna kill _me,_ you're just gonna get some sorta backwards praise for however you're about to handle… that,"

The whole thing was actually pretty unfair, disregarding the fact that they should be blocks away fromthis part of Gotham. Sure, Wally was a metahuman, and sure, his uncle was four times more touchy feely than Batman on drugs, and okay, Wally was loud he could own up to that, and fine, it was possible that he'd broken that blinky thing the first time he'd visited the Batcave, and _maybe_ he'd tried to convince Robin to take off his mask once (or twice, or, okay, like seven times a night) and, alright, he was loud like his uncle, but at least he wasn't late like him, and sure, he ate a lot but that wasn't his fault and really had nothing to do with Batman come to think of it—

"KF, focus, stuff is on fire,"

"I'm probably going to get charged with kidnapping," Wally whispered in horror. "Never mind that _you_ coerced _me_ into leaving the approved sector thing, I'm going to get blamed and sent to jail,"

Robin crossed his (tiny, skinny, twig-like) arms and made an amused sound in the back of his throat that almost sounded like a snort. How undignified. "I'm sure that's exactly what's going to happen, KF,"

"I knew it," he wailed, the rough texture of his gloves tugging and pulling at his flyaway red hair. He'd probably have to shave it, or wear a hat. Red was very distinctive, and running away from Batman would be impossible with target-colored hair. Who was he kidding, running away from _Batman_ was impossible. "I'm gonna go to jail at _eleven,_ " Wally grabbed Robin's shoulders and shook him. "Dude, you have to help me,"

Robin shook his head and slapped him on the arm. Hard.

"You. Run. Fire. Now,"

"You're three feet tall and like five years old. Don't tell me what to do," Wally said, but the humor was just as shaky as his hands. Robin usually didn't resort to violence that quickly (so he _was_ apprehensive about the punishment they were sure to receive) and it had surprised him. For a fraction of a second, the Boy Wonder's shape had blurred into another's, and he wasn't ready to see that figure again. Not yet. Not so soon after…

Exiling those thoughts (Rob didn't know, he didn't mean to, just move on, think of Batman) Wally grabbed the smaller boy and ran to the flaming crater. There were only a few bystanders, probably due to the fact that it was like two in the morning, and they all backed off once they saw Mr. Green Tights. Really, there was a discussion to be had about Robin's choice of clothing.

"There's also a discussion to be had about your tendency to carry me bridal style," Robin grumbled, and whoops, Wally guessed he'd said that last part out loud. He wasn't really sorry; minutes away from death by Batman he was entitled to speak his mind. Maybe this way Robin would honor his memory with a new color scheme.

"Admitting you have a problem is the first step,"

"What's wrong with green? And they're not tights!"

"Dude, those are tights,"

"At least I don't wear spandex,"

"If I didn't wear this material, I'd end up running around without clothes. _You_ have a choice,"

"I don't think Batman knows," Robin said, interrupting their banter as they moved cautiously towards the edge of the crater. "He would've contacted me otherwise,"

"He'd know if I so much as sneezed in his city without permission, and you think he missed a giant, flaming hole roughly six blocks from his precious baby's supposed location?"

"Stop being dramatic," Robin ordered, and Wally's back straightened of its own accord. Great. Now he was taking orders from a kid two years younger than him. "The only remaining flames are from the surrounding grass, and even that's dying down. Plus, it didn't seem like something actually _fell,_ more like… appeared,"

"What, like a zeta-beam gone wrong?"

"Something like that…"

Their detective work ground to a halt once they actually arrived at the lip of the hole. With a quick glance and a nod to each other, they jumped over the edge, sliding for a few feet before the ground leveled out. The crater itself really wasn't that big, maybe ten feet across, and directly opposite from the duo, looking at them with very large, very green eyes, was… a girl.

"What," Wally said eloquently.

Her hair was red, even more than _his,_ and fell unevenly to her shoulders, the ends slightly black and singed looking. It may have been the light of the flames, but her skin almost seemed to be orange, as in actually orange, not that weird spray tan stuff. She was wearing something that resembled a purple nightgown, and that too was torn and covered in scorch marks. She was covered in small scrapes, burns, and one deeper cut that was oozing blood from her right shoulder. She also looked absolutely terrified; her small form trembling.

Wally considered himself a fairly good judge of character, and usually had a knack with people. Just from looking at her, he could tell that she wasn't here because she wanted to be, and she definitely didn't want to fight. The crater was probably an accident, the side effect from her travel, and if the way she was hugging herself was any indication, she just wanted to go back to wherever she came from.

Wally took a step forward in the same moment Robin put a hand to his ear, probably to call Batman (because hello, alien girl in the middle of Gotham) but the girl flung out a hand and yelled something in a different language. Wally stopped and saw Robin's arm freeze in the same instant. Normally, the Boy Wonder probably would have continued, but even he could tell she meant no harm. He looked at Wally, and back to the girl, before his hand returned to his side to rest on his utility belt.

He got the message. Robin wasn't going to trust an alien blindly. Even if she wasn't a threat, she could be carrying one. There was no guarantee that she wasn't just bait.

For a few moments, nobody moved. Then, slowly, the girl lowered her hand and said something that might have been a question.

"I'm sorry," Wally tried to keep his voice calm and soothing. Now that he thought about it, his intent to run straight towards her may have been slightly impulsive. Just a little. "We can't understand you,"

"KF, she can't understand us either. We should call Batman. Maybe Martian Manhunter can translate, or one of the Green Lanterns,"

The girl repeated whatever it was that she'd said before, this time extending her hand and making a strange shape with her fingers. Wally didn't know sign language, but he was pretty sure that whatever she was trying to convey didn't translate.

"I don't understand," Robin said, shaking his head, and Wally shrugged.

The girl bit her lip, and glanced between the two of them before her gaze settled on the speedster. She pointed at him and then herself, once again repeating the question. Wally just looked back blankly.

"Why did you- I mean, she single _me_ out?"

"I don't know. You're brighter, maybe. It could also be the hair,"

The girl slowly took a step forward, looking encouraged when no one objected, and he was surprised to see how small she really was. He'd assumed it'd been her half-crouched position, but she really did seem to be size of a small child.

She held out her hand towards Wally again, and took another small step forward. After a moment's hesitation, he copied her movement, sensing Robin's eyes watching his back carefully. A few more steps, and they were directly facing each other. She really _was_ short, even shorter than Robin, and barely reached the middle of his stomach. How old was she, six?

Looking hesitant, she pointed to her lips and then to his own, before miming talking with her hands. She repeated the question. Wally shrugged. She sighed, grabbed his hand, and kissed it. She pointed to her lips, then his again, looking at him expectantly.

"This… seems backwards?"

"KF, I think she wants to kiss you,"

"…I'm sorry, _what_?"

"Just bend down a little,"

"Why? She's a kid! I don't want to—"

" _Kid_ Flash, just do it, worst case scenario you get to kiss an alien,"

Still uncertain, he bent his knees slightly. That seemed to be the only invitation the girl needed, because she was suddenly _right there_ despite being way too short to reach his lips, and hers covered his own. Wally squeaked and stumbled back, but the girl had grabbed his face and wasn't letting go.

Wally was eleven, not three, and knew that there were different kinds of kissing. This one, however, was way off from what he'd imagined. There was a strange ticking sensation in the back of his throat (which didn't make any sort of sense because his lips were pressed closed, and hers were too) and he didn't feel any desire to continue the contact. Weren't you supposed to?

Just as quickly as it started, the girl was off of him. He exchanged stunned looks with Robin, whose mouth was open (he thought he heard a mumbled "gross, cooties" but wasn't sure) before the girl was in front of him, _floating,_ and apologizing. In English.

"I am so sorry!" she said, sounding distraught. "I did not realize that… mouth-to-mouth contact, what you call… kissing? I did not realize it was so intimate. I am sorry, my people can learn languages through mou— _kissing,_ and I did not understand what was going on, please do not be mad,"

"Uh…"

"What he means," Robin said, stepping forward. "Is that it's not a problem. You can call me Robin, and him Kid Flash. What's your name? Where are you from?"

"My name is Koriand'r," she said, looking relieved that neither of the boys were going to react poorly. A moment later, however, her mouth twisted into a frown and she sunk from the air. She, Wally thought, looked the exact opposite of traught. "I come from the planet of Tameran, but… I do not think…."

"Well, Koriand'r," Robin said, hardly hesitating over the unusual pronunciation and cutting through Koriand'r's sadness with a bright smile. "Welcome to Earth,"

* * *

 **That's it for the first chapter! I'll be in the car for about six hours today, so I may be able to get a second one out before anyone even reads the first! Feel free to give me any sort of criticism, or ask me any questions. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This would've been out a whole lot sooner if I'd remembered to take my charger on that six-hour drive I mentioned. =_= Sorry for the wait guys! I'm so happy about all the reviews and notifications I've gotten! You really made me smile. Once again, feel free to PM me with questions or just leave a review.**

 **Warhawk'42 : Rob and KF are going to stay with YJ, and as for Star, well, that's a surprise. I added Roy in the character tags just to make it clear that he'll have a role despite not being on the team. **

**DoorOfJustice : If birdflash is what you're looking for, you'll want to read the IMPORTANT AN at the end of the chapter. And thanks!**

 **And thank you to AzureMarie and Guest for the lovely reviews! **

**Also, this chapter took a depressing turn I wasn't planning on. Oops?**

* * *

Robin should've called Batman the second there was an explosion, but there was something about Kid Flash that made him daring, and at the moment he was kind of angry at his guardian. Robin understood the need for secret identities, really he did, but not everyone was able to separate their civilian selves from their masked ones. Kid Flash, for example, was Wally West in yellow. Sure, Wally was probably a little more humble and quiet, but for the most part they were one and the same. Batman, _Bruce_ , expected Robin to be completely apart from Dick Grayson, and that was something he didn't think he could do. As much as he argued that his age didn't matter, Robin was only nine. He didn't want to lie to Barbara at school (so far the only person who didn't think he was the equivalent of elephant crap) and he _really_ didn't want to lie to Kid Flash. KF. Wally.

So he snapped the older boy out of his weird panic, and had every intention of calling Batman once he'd seen what had caused all the commotion. Really. This was a small act of rebellion, not an attempt to get himself killed.

And then there was a girl, a really, really, _small_ girl, and he decided that it was possible Earth was about to be invaded, and he'd rather stay vaded, so he raised his hand to contact the only man with five contingency plans involving every kind of invasion possible, only to be stopped by the girl's cry of alarm.

She looked… scared. There was no malicious intent in her posture, and Kid Flash had even taken a step towards her. Robin was able to admit that, living in Central City, KF probably had a lot more practice dealing with people just making dumb decisions, and Wally was most definitely a people's person. If he didn't think that the girl was a threat, than Robin was inclined to follow the speedster's lead on this one.

 _Batman was not going to be happy with either of them._

The girl made contact with Kid Flash.

 _Batman_ _was going to be so mad._

The unlikely-but-possible threat _kissed_ Kid Flash. On Robin's suggestion.

 _Bruce was going to ground Dick until he was thirty._

Robin learned the alien's name— Koriand'r.

 _Dead. So dead._

"Welcome to Earth,"

 _But maybe, if she was as friendly as she appeared, they could—_

"Robin, Kid Flash, do either of you care to explain what you're doing? Because if so, I'd start talking. I got a head start on Bats, but that's not going to last long,"

Not entirely used to people running so fast they appeared to teleport, Robin reacted before registering that it was the Flash next to him; he pulled out two birdarangs and threw them in the direction of the suddenly-right-next-to-him voice.

"Woah, kid—"

"Wait, Kor—"

"Don't hurt them!"

Koriand'r, Robin realized, had taken his (impulsive, stupid) reaction to mean that the new arrival was a threat. She'd rocketed forward, _flying,_ somehow escaping Kid Flash's grab for her hand, to place herself in front of Robin. Her arms were stretched out as wide as her small frame would allow, and she seemed ready to take any attack the Flash would send in response to Robin's own. Her chest was heaving, and Robin remembered with a jolt how injured she was. Even if they were minimal, she'd obviously been through something, and without treatment a small cut could spell disaster.

"Kori," Kid Flash said, suddenly in front of her, his hands raised in a placating manner. Robin almost sighed; this situation was getting out of control. "That's my uncle, Flash. He just wanted to make sure Robin and I were safe, but Robin was a little startled," Here he looked at the smaller boy from the gap between Koriand'r's arms. Robin could hear Wally's desperate _dude, back me up_ without the meaningful eye contact.

"He's right. I was distracted, and didn't notice it was Flash,"

Koriand'r sagged, stumbling forward a few steps once her feet touched the ground. She was caught by Flash, whose normally chipper face was twisted with concern. Kid Flash was wearing a similar expression as he knelt beside his uncle, watching as the older speedster laid the alien out on the ground and examined her carefully.

"What happened?"

"We don't know," Robin said, noticing for the first time blood tricking out the corner of Koriand'r's mouth. "We came to investigate a disturbance, and found her at the center of it. She was just as confused as us, and after… learning English through some alien thing, she said her name was Koriand'r and that she was from a planet called Tameran,"

Kid Flash mouthed _thanks,_ and it took a few seconds for Robin to understand that he meant for not mentioning the kiss. Flash, on the other hand, just looked more concerned.

"You're telling me that you approached an alien without notifying anyone?"

"We didn't know it, she, whatever, was an alien when we didn't call for backup!" Kid Flash protested, and Robin bit back a groan. Plausible deniability was so-so, but that just opened up a whole lot more questions, such as where they were when the 'disturbance' occurred and why they headed towards it in the first place.

"We're going to have a long talk about this, Kid. The only reason we're not having it now is that this girl needs medical attention,"

"Wait, is she okay?"

Flash, picking up Koriand'r and cradling her to his chest, didn't respond, and in a gust of wind and cackle of electricity he was gone. Robin and Kid Flash had roughly three stunned seconds to themselves before the latter reeled back and cowered behind the former.

"Mr. Batman, sir!" he squeaked, and Robin took an unconscious step back.

Batman, straightening from the crouch he'd landed in after jumping into the crater, eyed them both with cold fury. While Robin had previously disregarded Kid Flash's concerns, he was now unable to do so with the same certainty. The displeasure that was radiating off of the Dark Knight was beyond palpable.

"Batman—"

"Robin, take Kid Flash and get into the Batmobile," the man ordered. Obediently, Robin removed one of Kid Flash's hands from his shoulder and, without letting go, dragged him to the wall of earth closest to them.

"KF," he muttered, squeezing his terrified best friend's hand. "Run us up,"

Something was wrong with Wally, and that one, very obvious, fact bore the brunt of being the only thing preventing a horrific lecture that Robin was positive Batman had already planned. Normally, his guardian would have continued regardless of the other sidekick's mental state, but the speedster was either on the verge or in the midst of a complete breakdown.

Robin (and he was Robin, because unlike Kid Flash who had taken his cowl off as soon as they'd entered the Cave, he'd kept the domino mask on) was well aware of Batman's murderous aura, and was well acquainted with his Glare of Absolute Doom. He knew that Bruce, while softer than Batman, would also have a few choice words with Dick, and that Alfred would most likely join in with his own disappointed gaze. So, really, Robin understood the horrible feelings of failure, apprehension, and shame that had to be crushing Wally.

What he _didn't_ understand was why the (bright, wild, laughing) eyes of his best friend were dull, or why his (vibrant, tousled, ridiculous) hair seemed to droop, or why his usually (glowing, flushed, alive) skin painted with so many (dorky, dumb, _individual_ ) freckles was pasty white.

And suddenly he couldn't breathe.

 _"He's never going to wake up, is he, Mr. Gordon?"_

 _"I'm sorry, Richard,"_

 _The Flying Grayson, the uncle to a new orphan, the last one who could ever possibly understand what it felt like to fall fall fall down down down was just lying there, unmoving, pale, dying,_ dead _, and Richard was alone alone alone and he couldn't be because he was too bright to be by himself but Gotham was draining him and he couldn't think breathe live and someone needed to help because he couldn't do those things without machines and Richard was drowning drowning drowning and everying was mixing mixing mixing—_

Robin, Richard, Dick couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe like his uncle, like his parents, like Bruce's parents, like all those people in the graveyard his parents now occupied, like Koriand'r who was bleeding from the inside, like _Wally,_ no, not Wally, not Bruce, not Wally, not Alfred, not Wally—

"Masters Robin and Wallace, you need to breathe,"

The vacuum he'd felt like he was occupying suddenly ceased to exist, shattering like the half-memories and ghosts haunting his vision, and air entered his lungs with a choked gasp. Alfred, his face pinched with worry but otherwise calm, was down on his knees in front of him and Wally—

 _Wally._

For a terrible, heart-stopping moment, Robin didn't think that the speedster was breathing. He was barely able to comprehend the fast-paced movements of Wally's chest as the older boy struggled to return to human speeds. He was even paler than the last time Robin had looked at him, before his (random, uncalled for, _unwelcome_ ) panic attack. Wally's eyes were wide open, glassy, and staring directly at him.

"Ican'tstopIcan'tstopwhatifhe'smadIdidn'tmeantoIcan'tstopRobhelp…"

Robin had no idea what was being said, but the terror in his friend's vibrating face was enough to let him know that something was ten times worse than wrong. He looked helplessly at Alfred, dimly realizing that Batman's dark yet reassuring presence was nowhere to be seen. Where was Bruce? He had worked beside the Flash for years, surely he'd have some sort of clue on how to help!

"Master Robin, if I may," Alfred, technically Agent A at the moment, said softly, interrupting his inward despairing. "Master Wallace is naturally fond of physical contact and affection. While you respond with calming words, the same is not true for him,"

Robin understood immediately. Without hesitation (because maybe _he_ needed this too, so what) he wrapped his arms around Wally and buried his face in the speedster's chest. As the vibrations and heaving slowed, Robin inhaled the scent of wind and freedom, something natural and carefree that he didn't come across often in Gotham.

It reminded him of home, of the circus and surrounding trailers, and the excitement of traveling across the country.

* * *

"She did not mean to do what she did,"

"That's not the point,"

"Batman, you can hardly hold the girl responsible for—"

"Martian Manhunter, she put both my sidekick and the Flash's in danger, she is accountable for her actions regardless of the circumstances,"

"Now now, Bats, cut the girl some slack. If what J'onn saw was any indication, she was acting on pure instinct,"

"This doesn't involve you, Lantern,"

"Batman, she really didn't mean any harm,"

"This involves your _nephew_ , and you're just going to let an alien girl run rampant without caution simply because she was scared?"

"Seems reasonable to me. You're the one whose being a—"

" _Hal_ ,"

"What? It's true!"

"Be all this as it may, something has to be done to make sure that Robin and Kid Flash's minds haven't been permanently affected,"

"The remnants of the girl's energy should be gone in a few hours, if not already,"

"Thank you, J'onn. And you too, Hal,"

"It was no trouble,"

"Yeah, I was happy to help you. And the kids. Wanna know why you're not on the list, Bats?"

"Not particularly,"

"Hal, please…"

"Fine. C'mon J'onn, they wanna have super-secret sidekick talk,"

"…"

"…"

"I'll just, uh, head back to the Cave and, uh, pick up mine,"

"…"

"Right. Bye,"

* * *

 **I'll go more into detail about what happened with Kori (Kory?) and the League next chapter, don't worry. As for now,** _ **something**_ **seemsto be going on. And what's up with our babies' breakdowns?**

 **IMPORTANT AN: Until I say otherwise, I will be accepting prompts sent my way via review or PM. They can be any fandom (anime, books, movies, TV), any rating (just no PWP please), any shipping, and any subject matter! I'll upload them as separate one-shots (unless they're related) and include the prompter in the summary. If I'm not familiar with the fandom, I'll look into a few things online. If I don't think I can peg the characters, I'll either PM you or leave a note at the end of the chapter in this story. Really, get as creative as you want!**

 **Please send me something. I have no life, and I love writing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I wrote this chapter three separate times. THREE. I blame Hal and Alfred. Hopefully the length makes up for its less than timely appearance. Thanks to everyone who favorited and followed!**

 **Warhawk'42** **:** Ahh, your theories make me happy, but I'm not telling. Since KF is so young right now, his speed is like in the show. I hate him not getting the credit he deserves, however, so his speed abilities will increase with age and training. For the most part, season one events will be glossed over while remaining the same, but there's going to be an unknown amount of chapters dealing with the events between the seasons. Since I think five years is pretty unrealistic as well, the timing of things will probably be different. Friend, I am sorry to inform you that this is an (eventual) birdflash story, meaning Dick x Wally. Since it's eventual, though, Wally may or may not have a brief romance with Artemis. I'm sorry if this wasn't clear. Cookie?

 **FangirlingIsAnAddiction** **:** I agree wholeheartedly with your username. Aw, thank you for your kind words! You're the reason I sucked it up and finished this chapter today. And if you love birdflash, you can leave me a prompt (or twenty) and I'll write you a oneshot.

 **WARNING: Hal is a potty mouth. (My computer is being weird, though, so I have to write them like this: bastar d. Sorry. If anyone knows how to fix this, please tell me.)**

* * *

Koriand'r tried, really she did, to stay conscious long enough to spare her new friends from the troubled looking man dressed in red, but her mind was spinning and she was just so _tired_. In an attempt to spare herself more injury she stopped levitating, but the landing wasn't anywhere near as smooth as usual. The second the totality of her weight was forced onto her feet, she stumbled forward, barely missing Kid Flash, and pitched toward the ground. Her vison went black.

"What happened?"

It took a moment for her brain to translate what was being said. She was just too exhausted for the words to click into place like they usually did. The speaker was the red man. Kid Flash's… uncle? A good man, her instincts had told her, but confused. His voice was filled with worry, pinched with it really, and Koriand'r felt bad for making it that way. It reminded her of home, for some reason. But she couldn't remember. Everything was fading, and the voice of Robin trying to explain how they'd met was almost like a lullaby.

"…was from a planet called Tameran,"

 _Tameran. Home._

Seconds before she lost consciousness entirely, Koriand'r's heart twisted painfully. Memories flooded her exhausted mind, and the sort of mental block she'd constructed to keep her painful thoughts at bay crumbled.

She was terrified, homeless, an orphan, beyond sadness and mourning, and so very, very helpless. Never in her life had she felt this small, this insignificant. She wanted to forget, to physically push the memories away, but she couldn't.

Miserable, the last things she remembered before she succumbed to blissful blank blackness were two names. They were unfamiliar, but somehow carried the same sort of helpless suffering that Tameran stirred up in herself. She wondered vaguely who they were, this Rudy and Rick, and if they were okay, but was soon too far gone to care.

When she awoke eight days later, tied down with a man staring off into space next to her, she didn't remember either of them.

* * *

As the night progressed, Flash didn't know whether to be angry at his nephew or Robin. On one hand, Wally was older and not anywhere close to the realm of stupid, but his speedster DNA coupled with natural hyperactivity made for a tricky combination. Robin had more experience, Bat-training, and just overall better decision making skills, but he was two years younger.

Angry wasn't even the right word, he realized. He had already been nervous about letting the two kids run around Gotham, but Batman had assured him that he had surveillance monitoring everything. Flash had been a little surprised when Batman hadn't commented on the boys' movement out of the agreed patrol perimeter, but took it as a sign that Robin and Kid Flash had earned some sort of approval. No, he wasn't angry, he was apprehensive. Gotham was a calling card for trouble, and Wally was just waltzing around as if he were in Central City.

Both men had decided to observe their sidekick's reaction and subsequent handling of the crater situation from a nearby roof (aided by Batcams, or something), and Flash personally thought that everything was going as well as it could've up until his nephew had been kissed— _kissed—_ by the alien. It had been three months since _The Incident_ , but an alien inserting herself so intimately and abruptly into Wally's personal bubble nearly gave him heart failure.

For a millisecond, the girl had been raising a weapon and hurtling towards his nephew's chest.

"Flash,"

Batman's voice— harsh, gravelly, low, and full of reprimand— somehow snapped him out of whatever zone his brain had entered without permission and he took a deep breath. Batman, the paranoid bastar d, knew about what had happened, had known even before Flash had told the League. For all of his protests and standoffish nature, Batman was nearly a good a friend as Hal. In vastly different ways, of course.

Turning to thank him, Flash's brain processed three things in rapid succession.

First, there was a surprising amount of equipment that Bats was kneeling by. Flash hadn't thought the other hero content with just listening to the interaction happening below them, but whoa. Full body scans— the alien was only _four foot?_ —internal readings ranging from brain scans to pulse rates and estimated white blood cell counts, a running lie detector, and several things he didn't know the use for. _Where in god's name did Bruce keep all this stuff?_

Second, the digital brain's posterior superior temporal gyrus (Wernicke's area, more specifically) was lit up like a Christmas tree. That part of the brain was essential for knowledge and processing of linguistics.

Third, the alien's voice. Speaking in English over the small cameras. _English._

" _I am so sorry!_ _I did not realize that… mouth-to-mouth contact, what you call… kissing? I did not realize it was so intimate. I am sorry, my people can learn languages through mou—_ kissing _, and I did not understand what was going on, please do not be mad,"_

"She learned English by kissing my nephew?" Flash asked incredulously. Soon he'd find this hilarious, even making a note to tease Wally about it later, but right now it was just weird.

"We've seen stranger,"

"That's true,"

 _But still_ , a part of him wondered, _how in the hell do things like this even happen?_ Barry often had to take a step back and come to terms with most of his friends either being an alien, a borderline crazy, or a multi-universe-space-cowboy-sheriff-cop-thing who wore a glowy ring. And, the hardest to comprehend of all, the fact that Iris West, a woman so far out of his league it was laughable, had yet to run screaming.

"I've gathered all the data I can. Go get them while I get the Batmobile. Do not engage. Results inconclusive. Protect Robin and Kid Flash,"

"You're not a robot, Bats. Just emotionally constipated,"

"How about this— make them think they're in major trouble,"

Which was strange, because the kids _were_ in trouble. It seemed, however, that Batman approved of their actions at least a little. And okay. He could admit that faced with an explosion at eleven he would have checked it out, too.

"I'm gonna make them think you're after them," Because even if Flash had calmed down considerably, that didn't mean that he'd forgotten. Wally needed to learn to think for himself, and Robin deserved to squirm for giving in to peer pressure. Even if it was kinda adorable.

And Flash could've sworn the corners of the man's mouth curved at least a tiny bit upwards.

* * *

Mount Justice was cool. High tech enough to house Earth's Biggest Egos, with just enough comfortable places to crash in order to make it homey. Really, though, it was nice. Quiet, even. In fact, if one ignored the constant instances of shouting, alerts, alarms, some weird cross between the two, distant thuds of something taking a Super-pounding, and general chaos of several holier-than-thou superheroes, the mountain was similar to a spa getaway.

In other words, Hal wanted to get to fu cking space _yesterday._

Bats' magic satellite thingy was taking too long. He was going to fling someone into the sun any day now. In fact, the only reason he hadn't was because he couldn't decide between Ollie and Diana, or as he called them, Prince Whipped and Princess Dick-Slicer.

Okay, he didn't really call them that. But still.

It doesn't make a lot of sense, his distaste for the mountain. Hal had always been difficult to entertain, to keep interested. He needed something to enthrall him, something he could focus on, something beyond what most people were capable of, and that probably had everything to do with his romantic failures. Excluding his womanizer tendencies, of course.

But here, he's essentially locked in a mountain with aliens, metas, and two normal men able to hold their own against the formers. His best friend could run across the word almost instantaneously, he was friendly with a telepath, man of steel, and a guy who lived underwater. Nothing about this situation should be less than amazing.

But he was just. So. Bored.

Missions were one thing; alien invasions, crazy murderers, metas, natural disasters, political catastrophes, all of that made the blood rush to his head, his heart pound, his very soul sing and hum with anticipation. He was able to live in the moment, and every one was possibly his last. He could save people or he could fail. So many things had the potential to go awry, but he consistently beat the odds. He felt unstoppable, and important, and the only thing that trumped those moments were space missions.

The times between those instances, however, bored him to the point of borderline poetry. _While_ he was having an internal monologue.

So, with all that in mind, was he a terrible person for being relieved when Flash had sped frantically into Mount Justice with an unconscious _orange_ child in his arms?

Yeah, probably.

* * *

Alfred had enough experience with his two charges to know when something was off. He'd been present for the aftermath nearly every one of their traumatic experiences, and knew each of their tells. Bruce, through no real fault of his own, had been a difficult child to connect to emotionally after his parents' deaths. Alfred had taken it upon himself to read as many books about children emotion as he could, the subjects ranging from self-destructive tendencies to lying to mental disorders to what made them happy.

It should be said that Alfred Pennyworth never planned to raise a child.

It was due to his semi-obsessive readings (he never could understand how to help Bruce, and it ate at him every time he put on the cowl) that he immediately noticed Wallace West was in shock. The child was too pale and breathing far too quickly. Looking at Batman, now hunched over the keyboard of his overly large computer, he wondered not for the first time how blind such an observant man could be.

"What happened?" he asked, walking quickly to the two children. Master Dick, who'd previously only looked a little pale, suddenly morphed into a full-fledged panic attack. Alfred had been witness to many during his first month at the manor.

"They met an alien," Batman said shortly, without looking up.

"No, Master Batman, _what happened_?"

Something in his tone alerted the man that something was wrong. He turned around, frowning, only to freeze when he took in the sight of his ward and his ward's best friend shaking and looking emptily in front of them, one barely breathing and the other hyperventilating.

Alfred reached the boys just as Batman unfroze and began typing furiously, barking, "Calm them down,"

He crouched and made the decision to help Master Dick, first.

"Child, please look at me," Alfred said, cupping his cheeks. "Whatever you're seeing is not real. Please, you need to breathe,"

"M' sorry," a tiny voice whispered, and Alfred looked at Wallace in surprise. "Sorry,"

"Masters Robin and Wallace, you need to breathe," and this time, it was a command. Dick obeyed, heaving a giant breath and looking at him with what he could imagine were fear-filled eyes behind the mask.

Alfred wanted nothing more than to scoop his tiny acrobat into his arms and whisper soothing words in his ear, but that was neither his place nor this the opportune time. The speedster, if possible, had begun breathing even faster, and Alfred didn't think that he was the best person suited for this task. As if to reinforce that theory, the redhead said something so incredibly fast that Alfred nearly missed the fact that he'd said anything at all. Master Dick, however, looked stricken.

"Master Robin, if I may," he said softly, not wanting to upset his charge any more. "Master Wallace is naturally fond of physical contact and affection. While you respond with calming words, the same is not true for him,"

Not that he'd been exactly calm in his speech, but the thought was there.

When Master Dick wrapped his arms around his friend and buried his face against the yellow fabric, Alfred felt something warm curl around his chest. Master Bruce would never have done something like that, and that alone proved that this child had not been lost to his elder charge's brooding ways.

He watched, a warm smile on his face, as both boys regained their color and even breathing. They remained pressed together, though they finally sat down and allowed Alfred to wrap a blanket around their shoulders, until Batman stormed to the zeta tube and Flash took his place a few moments later.

* * *

Batman had stormed into the medical bay, a dark air about him as though he'd decided the girl was guilty of some terrible crime. He never looked anywhere in the realm of happy, but at the moment he looked equal parts furious and pissed off. And with Batman, there was a difference. Furious meant righteous fury (or something) and pissed off meant that someone was going to go down with excess force. And this was aimed towards an _injured kid._

"She needs to be locked up,"

It irritated Hal more than anything. Batman hadn't been there for J'onn's explanation. This young child had witnessed horrible things, enough that not even the Martian could discern too many details. Her instinct had been to get rid of the emotion and somehow she'd managed to drudge up horrible memories in everyone she came in direct contact with, Barry included. And yet, the speedster was looking at Batman in horror.

"You can't lock up a child,"

"She's a threat,"

"She was scared. She didn't mean to. Once she wakes up-"

"Once she wakes up, who knows what she could do?" Batman interrupted. Hal didn't know how someone who'd essentially become the human incarnation of vengeance due to two deaths could fault a small child for reacting poorly to millions, but to each his own. Douche.

"She did not mean to do what she did," J'onn reiterated, and Hal could only imagine what kind of dangerous waves were radiating off of Batman. It was common knowledge that the bat went batty whenever Robin was threatened, but damn. Hal had never seen J'onn look so concerned.

"That's not the point,"

"Batman, you can hardly hold the girl responsible for—"

"Martian Manhunter, she put both my sidekick and the Flash's in danger, she is accountable for her actions regardless of the circumstances,"

"Now now, Bats, cut the girl some slack. If what J'onn saw was any indication, she was acting on pure instinct," Hal cut in. It hadn't sounded like the girl had even known she was capable of doing what she had. There was no reason to blame her for that.

"This doesn't involve you, Lantern,"

"Batman, she really didn't mean any harm," Flash, the idiot, said, trying to appeal to some sense of human compassion Hal was pretty sure didn't exist in the man.

"This involves your nephew, and you're just going to let an alien girl run rampant without caution simply because she was scared?"

Hal clenched his fist. Barry had explained how the girl, Kor-something-or-other, had been nothing but reasonable and even protective towards Robin and Kid Flash. He'd also explained how he'd suddenly flashbacked to the day he came home and found his mother's body. When Batman had used the tubes to yell at everyone for not being careful enough, it had taken Superman to get him to spill the beans.

Somehow, the girl had taken everyone's worst experiences and brought them to the forefront of their minds. Barry hadn't had a panic attack, but he had been upset. He'd been _directly affected_ and held no grudge against the girl. Robin and Kid Flash, if asked, probably wouldn't either.

"Seems reasonable to me," Hal spat, blood boiling. "You're the one who's being a—"

"Hal,"

"What? It's true!"

"Be all this as it may, something has to be done to make sure that Robin and Kid Flash's minds haven't been permanently affected," Batman's voice was cold, calculating. It set his teeth on edge.

"The remnants of the girl's energy should be gone in a few hours, if not already,"

"Thank you, J'onn. And you too, Hal,"

"It was no trouble,"

And it really wasn't. All he'd done is ask his ring about the planet Tameran, and found out that no one in the Green Lantern Core had heard of it. That meant that Tameran was too far away from anything to be catalogued. It was strange, and a little frightening, that a little girl had managed to travel so far while an entire organization specializing in intergalactic travel couldn't.

"Yeah, I was happy to help you. And the kids. Wanna know why you're not on the list, Bats?"

"Not particularly,"

"Hal, please…"

"Fine. C'mon J'onn, they wanna have super-secret sidekick talk,"

It was complet bullshi t. Batman never wanted to talk to anyone, and the two mentors had nothing to say to each other at this point. Barry gave him a _look_ , and Hal knew that he was caught. Barry should just be grateful that he was bailing, though, because otherwise Batman would have been punched. And then Barry wouldn't have a best friend, because Batman would kill him. Painfully.

He decided that he'd stay near the girl. He wanted to collect data for the Core, but also be there in case Batman decided to go insane in the dead of night, which wasn't too far out of the realm of possibility if Hal was being honest. The guy had serious issues.

Besides, it wasn't like anyone was waiting for him anyway.

* * *

 **That's the end of chapter three! I'm sorry if it seems a bit choppy. Things will be a lot less so once we get out of the exposition. Good news- I've finally got an actual plan for this story instead of just a rough outline.**

 **Like I said last time, feel free to send me prompts! I didn't get any last time. :( And having something else to work on actually helps me work faster, believe it or not. Until next time, which hopefully comes sooner than this one did. Sorry about that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I think that when Dickie was younger he would struggle with separating himself and Robin, taking Bruce's example too literally in the beginning. Hence two different writing styles for Dick and Robin. This is kind of a filler chapter, but I thought it was good to have time to build characters up a little before all the plot hit. And this way I get more practice writing dynamics. And because the babies needed fluff okay**

 **FangirlingIsAnAddiction:** **Your review made** _ **my**_ **day, so thanks! And no prob about the prompt. I have a hard time thinking of small oneshot ideas, so that's why I mentioned it. On the flip side you could probably say "hugging, birdflash" and I'd somehow end up with 5K of them being idiots I swear**

 **Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed!**

* * *

Robin had been able to look at the whole alien thing somewhat objectively. Sure he'd been a little thrown, but not enough to prevent him from looking at the situation semi-logically. He blamed Wally for the 'semi'.

Dick Grayson, on the other hand, just thought that it was The Coolest Thing Ever.

"Wally and I made _first contact_ , Alfred!" he said, waving a still-hot-fresh-from-the-oven-made-from-Alfred's-quiet-love-practically-magic cookie in the air in his excitement. "Her first idea of humanity comes from us!"

"She is certainly lucky, Master Dick,"

"I know, right! Imagine if _Bruce_ had been the one to find her,"

"Perish the thought,"

"It's kinda crazy, though. Of all the nights for her to appear, she picked the one Wally and I were out alone. I don't really believe in fate, but this seems like an omen. Maybe we'll be partners! Or get married! Even if she did kiss Wally…"

Alfred, who had seen and experienced a vast range of Strange Things, nearly dropped the milk carton he was returning to the fridge. Dick grinned at him, amused. He'd expected a reaction but that was brilliant.

"You should see your face, Alfred,"

"I assure you, I don't know what you're talking about,"

"Of course not," Dick said seriously, pretending to inspect a second cookie while he peeked at the older man. "Perish the thought,"

Alfred set the freshly-poured glass of milk in front of him with a stern look that was completely rendered innate by the smile tugging at his lips.

Dick bit the inside of his cheek in frustration. After Wally had gone home with his uncle, he'd realized that the after effects of the panic attack hadn't materialized. It was as if it hadn't happened. He felt fine, disregarding the small twinge of sadness he always felt when he thought of his parents and uncle. The same couldn't be said for Alfred. The older man obviously hated when he couldn't fix something, and despite coming to terms with being unable to stop similar attacks and nightmares, he still despised the feeling of helplessness it gave him.

A small smile, Dick decided, wasn't enough. He let his cookie drop back to the plate before reaching out and grabbing the hand of man he considered a grandfather.

"Wally," he said, as though delivering a dark secret, "has alien girl cooties,"

He was rewarded with choked laughter, but for Alfred that was the equivalent of much more. Dick beamed at the older man. He was under the impression that his cookies were what fixed most things Wrong, but really it was the well of love buried deep under his British gentleman exterior.

"Precious child," he said fondly, attempting to school his features into a neutral expression.

"Precious Alfred," Dick countered. In his Highly Respectable Opinion, Alfred didn't need a mask to save people. And also, Bruce was kinda dumb. Dick would have to puppy-dog-eye him into submission this year, because Alfred _really_ deserved a Father's Day card.

* * *

"Robin's a good hugger," he blurted out the second he and his uncle walked into the house. He didn't know why he said it, but he knew if he didn't say _something_ Barry would, and then the conversation could spiral down a path he didn't want it to.

Wally really just needed to go to bed. That didn't normally happen due to his seemingly endless supply of energy, but he thought he should be cut some slack. He'd disobeyed Batman— _Batman. And_ been caught. He shouldn't be alive— found an alien, been kissed by that alien, had some strange break down involving The Incident They Don't Talk About, been snapped out of it by Robin hugging him, spent a good portion of time huddled with the Boy Wonder under a blanket while Batbutler watched carefully, and now he'd gone and said the most embarrassing thing he could've under the circumstances.

"That's very sweet," his aunt said, smiling. All of her smiles were pleasant and warm— Iris West-Allen was every bit the goddess she shared a name with— but this one had a journalist edge that terrified him. He turned to Uncle Barry, silently begging him to distract his wife from the story she somehow sensed was there; he was too busy covering his mouth to hide his laughter to be of much help.

"Uncle B!" Wally said in horror, openly gaping. His uncle _knew_ the circumstances! He'd been affected too! He'd said so! He wasn't allowed to tease!

"What? It _is_ sweet," his blue eyes were sparkling with mirth. Not. Fair. "I'm glad you have such a good hugger as a best friend, really I am," Best friend, huh? Two could play at that game. And his uncle's best friend was far less Iris-approved than his own.

"Hal said—"

"Nothing of importance," Uncle Barry interrupted, his hand over Wally's mouth.

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Iris' eyes, bright green and intelligent, narrowed. Wally smirked, and looked innocently up at his uncle, who was now staring at him in dismay. The best part was that the boy had no clue what Hal had said.

As Iris grilled Barry, her hands on her hips with a teasing tilt to her lips, the smirk on Wally's face softened into something else. It wasn't entirely happy, but not exactly anything else either. This was… nice. The circumstances surrounding his abrupt insertion into their everyday lives were B-A-D, but Wally couldn't deny that he liked seeing his aunt and uncle like this.

They were happy, and they were willing to share that with him.

"Aunt I!" he called, raising his hand as though in school. "I have the Insider's Scoop!"

"What? No you don't!"

"Tell me everything, sir," Iris laughed, ignoring her baffled husband. She'd flipped open an imaginary notepad and was using an equally unreal pen to scribble notes.

"It involved two cops, a bat (the animal), a roadrunner, and a bird,"

"Bats and Robin weren't there! And neither were you!"

"Sir, if you don't stop yelling I'll be forced to call security,"

"And _then_ there was an elephant and a goat that ended up rampaging through a grocery store, where a nice old lady was doing her Saturday shopping," here Wally sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "There's always an old lady,"

"What are you talking about?" Barry practically yelped as he was fixed with a grave glare from Iris.

"Bartholomew Allen, how dare you,"

"You're making this up," the fastest man alive said slowly, finally understanding. "You don't know anything about Hal," he pointed at Wally, who snickered, and then to Iris, who waved cheekily. "And you don't care,"

"We got you!"

"You're lucky you're so handsome,"

The redheads laughed, high-fived, and then let out simultaneous squeals and they found themselves out of the foyer and splayed across the couch.

"You're both going down," Barry said, cracking his knuckles.

The tickle-turned-pillow fight that followed lasted a good twenty minutes, and Wally wondered what he'd been so worried about in the first place.

* * *

Diana hadn't thought it possible, but she and Hal Jordan had managed to sit in relatively peaceful companionship for an hour. Other than brief comments on his part and a few short instructions on hers, the silence had held. It was only as she was leaving that the man spoke to her directly.

"I didn't realize that a princess knew how to give a proper haircut,"

There was no mocking or sarcasm in his voice for once, only thinly veiled curiosity. She never expected anything remotely positive when the arrogant man opened his mouth. It was strange, really, that human men continued to surprise her like this.

"Consider it a hidden talent, as well as a gift from one princess to another,"

Similarly, there was no contempt in her tone. This was a simple conversation. They could remain civil for a few moments. He'd behaved better than she ever thought capable and, like a dog, he deserved some sort of encouragement.

"Well, it looks nice,"

The young princess, Koriand'r, did look better. The blackened and uneven ends of her red hair had been cut, and though the result was not, perhaps, what the girl would have wanted, Diana had found herself unable to leave her in the same condition she'd been in.

"Of course it does,"

Diana took one last look at the girl, brushing her fingertips across the pale, orange skin of her cheek, before turning and walking calmly out the door. Hal offered no words of goodbye.

As she passed the windows looking into the med bay, she saw him run his own fingers through the girl's hair, an odd expression on his face, and Diana felt oddly comfortable leaving Koriand'r in his usually destructive hands.

* * *

 **I felt kinda bad about Kori's hair after the first chapter, so Princess Diana and her royal haircuts to the rescue! And don't worry, her hair will be long again. Eventually.**

 **Thanks for reading, and until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm not worthy of all your love! You've made me so happy with all the alerts I've been getting that my update time has been cut down significantly.**

 **For all the trouble he gave me, I have a feeling I'm going to end up overusing Hal's POV. Please tell me if I need a new character to exploit. At least I picked an entertaining one, though, right?**

 **DIGIFAN99** : **Thanks for pointing out my mistake. I meant to say older sister, I swear. XD Also thanks for Blackfire's name.**

 **IMPORTANT: From this point on I'll be taking extreme artistic license with Kori's backstory. Later on the Tamaranian culture is going to be pretty much made up. So Kori!AU I guess.**

* * *

One second Koriand'r was struggling to stay upright, afraid that if she fell asleep she'd wake up somewhere unspeakable, and the next she was lying in a firm bed with an unknown man sitting by her bedside.

He looked young, with flyaway brown hair arranged in a messy, carefree style. It reminded her of the boys that would crowd the streets during festivals, laughing and cheering and full of was a strange piece of green fabric covering his eyes and the bridge of his nose, a mask of some sort.

Now that she thought about it, everyone she'd met had been wearing a mask. Was it a custom on this planet to disguise one's appearance? For what purpose?

He seemed unaware that his- charge? prisoner? - had awakened. Koriand'r took a moment to consider the likelihood that he was friends with Robin and Kid Flash, but she was unable to decide one way or another.

"Should I be afraid?" she asked quietly instead, feeling bad when the man gave a shout of surprise and leveled a glowing ring at her face.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, and the ring stopped emitting its light and he reclaimed his seat. He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed. "You scared me,"

"My name is not Jesus Christ," she said slowly, but knew she'd misinterpreted something when the man laughed. It was a nice sound, not one meant to be degrading, and Koriand'r decided that he wasn't here to hurt her.

"No, it's a figure of speech of sorts. It references a religious figure,"

"Your people use your gods' names as exclamatory remarks?"

"Ah, well," he chuckled, and she noticed that the mask didn't hide the light brown of his eyes. "Strictly speaking I _probably_ shouldn't be using it in that way. I'm not particularly religious myself,"

"I see," And she did, even if she didn't understand. This planet seemed lax on their enforcing of religious law. Maybe their royalty was better respected.

"As to your original question, no. Unless you're a threat to my planet or the people I care about, and I don't believe you are, you have nothing to fear from me,"

"That is... nice? Yes. Nice is the word,"

Her mind was still sluggish. The language she had taken from Kid Flash was in her mind, but for some reason it wasn't clicking like it was supposed to. Certain words were there with no definition, and others just had vague imprints of meaning attached to them. This wasn't how it was supposed to work, and that frightened her.

Lost in her own thoughts, she almost missed the man asking her if she was alright. She couldn't stop a slightly humorless breath of laughter.

"I feel okay physically. Are you the one who... did the patching of up?" No, that wasn't right. Why wasn't this language working? "I mean, did you do the healing?" Closer, she thought, but still not completely right.

"No, that was someone else. I've just been waiting for you to wake up. You've been unconscious for eight days,"

Days... The unit of time was not familiar.

"I apologize," Koriand'r said, sitting up with only a small twinge of pain. "I do not know how long a day is,"

The man looked a little surprised but hid it almost immediately. He spoke as he rearranged the pillows on the bed to help alleviate the stress off of her back. It was appreciated; she was still a little weak.

"A second is like this. One, two, three, etcetera. There are sixty seconds in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, and twenty four hours in a day,"

"Thank you,"

There was a brief awkward silence in which she stared at the wall and the man at his fingers. Neither one of them, it appeared, knew what to say. If Koriand'r was being honest, she didn't want to talk to anyone. Now that she was safe and the adrenaline had faded the reality of what had happened was sinking in.

"You can call me Green Lantern. My friends call me GL," he offered his hand, smiling a little timidly. She mimicked his movement, unsure of how to proceed. She didn't think she was supposed to kiss his hand, but everything else was different on this planet so maybe...?

"Koriand'r. I... no one has ever called me anything else,"

He closed the distance between their hands, grabbed hers, and gave is a little shake. What an odd gesture.

"Well, Koriand'r, it's nice to meet you,"

"You as well. Are you... what is your..." she bit her lip. She was awake now, and everything else was functioning as usual. She'd already taken note of her surroundings. She knew that she was the only occupant in this room but that there were three other beds; she had seen the glass windows behind Green Lantern as well as the familiar figure framed in them. She could tell she was in a hospital of sorts. There was equipment everywhere.

So why couldn't she form the words that she needed?

"Hey now, don't cry,"

Cry? She wasn't...

"Oh," she breathed, touching a few fingers to her cheek. They were wet.

"Everything's gonna be alright. We'll help you figure it out," Green Lantern said, but his voice held a note of panic. He didn't know what to do any better than she did.

Alright? No, nothing was 'alright'. She had no idea where she was, and despite how... _nice_... everyone was being who knew how long it would last? Just a short while ago she'd been royalty. Now she was nothing. She had nothing. She had no one. And it was all because of her older sister. The same girl she'd played dress up with, who she'd adored more than anything. They had different mothers, but Koriand'r had loved her. She'd thought that her feelings were returned, but instead...

Instead...

"My sister tried to kill me," she whispered, and a small part of her shattered at the admission. "She betrayed her entire species because she hated _me,_ "

"Nono, please Koriand'r, I don't know how to help crying children please calm down,"

Green Lantern looked out of his depth, but she couldn't stop. The tears were free falling now, and she was trembling with suppressed sobs.

"I- I am s-sorry,"

"Wait, that's not what I- you can cry if you need to I just- Flash, help!"

And just like that, the man in the red suit from earlier was there. Kid Flash's... something. The language was blurring in her mind, slipping through her grasp even more now that she was upset.

"It's okay," Flash, that was his name wasn't it, said soothingly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. He gently pried her hands, which had been clutching at her face, free of her own skin and held them tightly. "We'll find a way to help,"

She tried to thank him, but the words stuck in her throat. The tears came harder and faster once she realized she couldn't communicate.

"I'm sorry," she wailed in Tamaranian instead. "There's something wrong with me, I'm so sorry,"

Flash seemed to realize she couldn't understand anything anymore because he'd resorted soft _shh_ s. His suit was red, the wrong red, but still red. It was similar to the color of Galfore's beard. **(1)**

 _Galfore_...

She didn't think it was possible, but she cried harder. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed a handful of Flash's suit. It was a lot more stretchy than it looked, but firm. Once she processed what she'd done, she looked up at him with tear filled eyes and said, again in Tamaranian, "Please forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please."

The words came out weak and garbled enough that she didn't think even a native speaker would've understood her.

Not that it mattered, since they were all dead.

Koriand'r bowed her head in renewed grief, barely noticing Green Lantern hovering nervously behind Flash's shoulder. Her hospital gown was already covered in droplets.

"Everything hurts," she whispered. She didn't even know what language she was speaking.

Flash seemed to understand regardless. He used the hand she had freed for him to cradle the back of her neck, and let go with his other to maneuver her closer until she was right next to him.

Without another word, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. One hand stroked her hair and the other rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Eventually, when she still hadn't stopped sobbing, Flash pulled her into his lap and gently rocked backwards and forwards.

* * *

Hal didn't _flee._ If he was dumb enough to charge into whatever situation he managed to get himself into, he was dumb enough to stick to his (probably non-existent, let's be honest) plan or die trying.

A hysterical little girl sobbing into his best friend's shoulder was different, however. Way different.

So yeah. Hal Jordan fled. Quickly. And he was not ashamed.

Don't get him wrong, she seemed like a nice kid. But he was fond of the 'fun uncle' role, which meant that as soon as things were no longer fun, he was out. Barry was born to be a father. He'd been a second one to Wally even before his real dad had lost it, and now there was no doubt that he was raising his nephew brilliantly.

Unlike Barry, Hal didn't know all the secret tricks to calm down crying, scared, or otherwise upset kids.

Not that those tricks seemed to be working. Looking through the windows he could see Koriand'r clinging to Barry like a lifeline, but she didn't seem any less… sobby than before.

"What on earth did you do to the poor child?"

Hal groaned, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Ollie. Just the person he wanted to see. Yay.

"Nothing. I didn't even get the chance to ask her anything about Tamaran. She just broke down after she told me her name,"

"Considering what J'onn saw, it's not all that surprising," Green Arrow mused, stroking the caterpillar on his face like a creep. "He couldn't even get a clear look, and he still said the destruction was terrible,"

"I did find out that she's having trouble with English,"

"Really? All the scans and stuff said she'd completely acclimated,"

Hal was about to reply when Superman's voice broke through over the com link. He was out of breath and sounded far more frustrated than Hal could ever remember.

" _Batman wouldn't listen to me. He's headed your way. I'd come up, but that'd probably make it worse,"_

"And that's my cue," Ollie said, hastily walking away from the med bay.

"Are you shi tting me?" Hal called, but received nothing in return. "Great. A hysterically crying girl and an angry Batman. Fu ck you too, universe,"

" _You did volunteer to play guard dog,"_

"That's beside the point. You sure you aren't gonna back me up?"

" _There's a situation in Metropolis. Sorry,"_

"Yeah, I bet there is," Hal muttered, bracing himself as the elevator doors down the hall opened to reveal the Dark Knight. He walked purposefully towards the med bay, black cape streaming behind him dramatically. Hal sighed. Batman really was a drama queen once you got to know him. Feeling as though he was signing a death warrant, he stepped directly into the other hero's path.

"Move,"

"Sorry, no can do,"

"It was neither a question nor a suggestion. Move,"

"The little princess is currently bawling her eyes out onto Flash's suit. A giant skulking bat is the last thing she needs to deal with right now,"

Pausing for his signature _am I the only one with a brain_ glare, Batman folded his arms across his chest. Hal felt slightly accomplished; he was expecting to be knocked aside via smoke bomb or something.

"Flash is in there, in direct contact with it—"

"With her," Hal snapped. How was it possible for a superhero to be so… _that_.

"—even after it's been proven _she_ 's able to influence the behavior of those she's near. Regardless of intent _as I stated when she was unconscious,_ she could very well cause Flash to break down as well,"

Well shi t. He hadn't thought of that.

"Green Lantern. Move,"

Without a word, Hal's ring lit up and created a construct of two different charts. The ring's light bounced eerily off of Batman's mask, serving only to amplify the man's already palpable displeasure.

"This first chart contains Koriand'r's levels of the same brainwaves we found present in Flash when he was having… issues involving his mother's death for seemingly no reason. The second chart contains her current levels, as well as Barry's. They're both clean," Hal said, trying to keep the smugness out of his voice and at the same time sound as though he already knew what the charts would say. Good thing bullshi ttng was essentially his only talent.

"Lantern," Batman snarled, apparently not as happy about that data as Hal would have hoped. "If you don't move right now, I'll force you too,"

Their com links crackled, and then a young voice spoke in their ears.

" _Batman, please leave the alien alone,"_

Every muscle in Batman's body tensed, and instead of mere displeasure he was now _furious._

"Robin?" Hal asked in surprise. "How did you get onto this frequency?"

"I told you to stay out of the Batcave,"

" _I am out of the Batcave. I'm in my room,_ "

"Where's Agent A?"

" _Right here, Sir,_ "

"You let him hack Justice League frequencies from his bedroom?" Batman demanded, and Hal winced. Those two were goners.

" _Oh, is that what he was doing? My apologies, Sir, I believed him to be fixing the radio. All this technology is beyond me,_ "

Hal could tell Alfred was lying (nothing escaped that man's attention) and so he had no doubt that Batman had seen through it as well. His clenched fists seemed to indicate as much.

"Both of you—"

" _Batman, you told me once that Agent A was always right. If he allowed me to hack JL signals just to tell you come home to cool down, don't you think it'd be smart to do just that?_ "

Whipped was not a word Hal thought he'd ever even think about using to describe Batman, but looking at him now… Bless that child.

"Lantern, if you say one word I'll turn right back around,"

Holy shi t. Batman was seriously going to listen to his butler and his kid. Just like that. They didn't need logic, or charts, or any sort of proof. They just asked.

As soon as the elevator doors were closed, Hal grinned wider than he ever had before.

"Robin, that was—"

" _Don't speak to my sidekick,"_

Party pooper. Or maybe…

"Great job, Richie Rich,"

" _Lantern!"_ Batman yelled, but it was drowned out by Robin's cackling and an echo of polite coughing.

" _Oh, and GL, please tell Flash to tell KF that I'm gonna be grounded for like a month,"_

* * *

 **(1) In case you don't know, Galfore was Starfire's caretaker in Teen Titans.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay we're nearing the end of tedious set-up. Y'all rock for putting up with this exposition! Only three chapters left of that, I think, and then we'll jump forward. Also, I'm sorry it took so long to get out. I knew exactly how I wanted this but it** _ **would not work.**_ **I honestly don't think it did, tbh.**

 **Guest:** **Thanks for your review! Her problems with English will be explained soon. I will say it's a combination of many things. The influencing is actually going to be explained next chapter.**

 **IsAbElA M CuLlEn:** **I totally agree. Alfred is the only reason they function and they dam n well better not forget it.**

 **FangirlingIsAnAddiction:** **Oh my god, you made me so happy. Thank you so much! ;n; Now I'm worried about this chapter. It's not as good, in my opinion.**

 **:** **Aw, thank you. I do feel kinda bad for what I'm about to do to Kori…oh well. Barry!hugs will dull the trauma. Batman better watch out, or the whole League will know he's a giant orphan-collecting softie!**

 **IMPORTANT: I made an oopsie while rearranging sentences in the last chapter. Blackfire IS older than Starfire. This story is AU, but that's still the same. I corrected it after** **a reviewer** **mentioned it, but just in case you read it before it was fixed.**

* * *

In the end, it was only several strokes of luck that allowed Robin and Kid Flash to see Koriand'r again. Wally would have been allowed sooner if not for stuff that kept happening on both his and the League's sides, but Robin had been G-R-O-U-N-D-E-D. Forever. He honestly didn't know if he'd ever get the opportunity to talk to her again with the way Batman had been acting.

Thankfully, something happened off-world mid-mission that required Batman _and_ Superman. He was passed off to Flash for supervision, due to the rest of the League being _so incredibly busy._ There was an emergency almost immediately, and so he was taken to Mount Justice ( _Central just isn't safe)_ for GL to watch him. Wally tagged along because he was 'too awesome' to help out his uncle. Then Hal announced that he needed to go check something in such a convoluted way that it included the access codes to Koriand'r's room.

So, really, it wasn't so much luck as it was everyone else disagreeing with Batman; that was a glorious first he was proud to be in the center of.

He'd take it.

"Dude, stop dawdling," Wally said, a wide smile stretching across his face as he turned back around from his place a good few feet ahead. Robin thought his pace was a little unfair, considering the fact that he didn't have powers. "I've tried to be patient and wait to talk to her, but you're just too slow,"

Without pausing for that particular news to process, Kid Flash picked him up bridal style and sped across the mountain. Once they stopped in front of an intimidating metal door, he didn't leap from his friend's arms like he usually did. Instead he took his time, mind still reeling.

"You could've seen her before,"

"Well, yeah. I wasn't the one grounded for being right,"

"But you didn't,"

"Of course not. You're my best friend, and we found her together. I wasn't going to cheat. I want her to like me more fair and square,"

Wally's voice was a little confused, as if he really didn't understand why this was a big deal. Robin socked him in the shoulder for his stupidity. His brilliant stupidity.

 _You're still adjusting to your powers,_ he wanted to say. _Time moves too slowly for you. You waited two weeks to talk to a potential friend. Wallace West, you jump at any chance to make any sort of acquaintance. She's an_ alien. _You waited to make an alien friend because you thought of me._

"As if, Kid Nerd," was what came out. "She only kissed you because you were dumb enough to walk towards her,"

"That really stings," Wally said, gasping dramatically and clutching his chest. "I'm smart and actually initiate conversations? No!"

"Oh, shut up,"

Wally was actually vibrating in anticipation, fingers drumming against his thighs, as Robin entered the code. He considered pretending to forget it just to mess with the speedster, but said loser spoke before he could decide. In any case, he paused with four numbers left to go.

"She had a rough few days, but she's calmed down a lot,"

"What?"

Batman hadn't told Robin anything. He had no clue what Koriand'r had gone through besides getting _something_ ed to Earth, but now that he thought about it, she had been injured. What could've happened? Now he was _really_ curious.

"I didn't talk to her or anything, but she's grown kinda attached to Flash. GL, too,"

"Is that cheating by proxy? I think it is,"

"Not my fault you picked the mean, scary mentor,"

Too late to get revenge, he finished typing. The access code was accepted, the keypad glowing green, and the metal door opened. Robin had a second of panic— what if she was _changing—_ that turned out to be completely unfounded. He gave Wally a pleading look, previous teasing forgotten.

"If I'm ever this paranoid, just put me out of my misery,"

The speedster barked out a laugh, one full of so much genuine amusement that he had to laugh himself. There was _another_ door, this one kept shut with numerous steel beams held magically— Zatara's work— in place. Robin could see this being useful for enemies, but not Koriand'r. Unless something really serious had happened, she was no different than any of the aliens in the Justice League.

Before either of the boys could do anything, the beams began to glow softly and float out of the way. Wally frowned at them, and Robin almost made a comment about their magical nature just to mess with him. He figured, however, that he deserved a break just this once.

"GL probably 'accidentally' unlocked it while he was doing the thing he said he needed to do,"

"Great deduction, Boy Detective," Wally snorted, but Robin was too busy gaping at the sight in front of them. This exceeded paranoia. This was just…

There was another door. Another one. Three doors now.

"Don't worry, this is the last one,"

"Three doors," he said in disbelief. Bruce, what the heck. Why. Why was this happening. "Three. _Three_ ,"

* * *

Green Lantern had told her that Robin and Kid Flash were going to be visiting her today if everything went according to plan, and Koriand'r thought this was the most excited she'd been since coming to Earth. Originally, she'd wanted to thank them for their kindness and apologize for the distress she'd caused them. She thought that they'd accept both and move on; they were doing their jobs as the guardians of this planet. She wasn't anything special.

Green Arrow in particular seemed to think differently.

He had spent most of the time in her presence talking about the two sidekicks, explaining their personalities and abilities (never in too much depth, though) and recounting some of their more entertaining exploits.

Kid Flash and Robin sounded _fun_. And nice.

The former was easy for her to see, but the latter took some convincing. How could Robin as described by Green Arrow be underneath the rule of Batman? She'd been assured that it was more complicated than that, but Koriand'r couldn't shake the memory of the one and only time she'd met Batman.

The League had been trying to get information, and she couldn't blame them. They wanted to know about Tamaran, her sister, how she'd gotten to their planet, and her powers. The procedure for this was different depending on who was asking, but so far the only truly unpleasant experience she'd had was when Batman decided it was his turn.

Flash held her hand and spoke gently, never pressing too hard. He was the one who explained the masks, about how everyone she'd met was a hero. She was worried, at first, that they were some sort of cult trying to take over their planet. Flash had laughed and ruffled her hair. She decided she didn't mind much even if that turned out to be the case.

Green Lantern offered a cool trick with his ring for every answer she gave him, even if she didn't have one. In contrast to their first meeting, however, his eyes were always covered by white lenses. When she asked, he winked and said that it was their little secret. He called her princess without any of the stiff formality she was accustomed to.

Martian Manhunter touched her temple, exuding calm, and blurred her perception of the images he was drawing from her mind. He praised her each time for her bravery and cooperation. He too was an alien, though his home was a lot closer than her own. Once he said that he could shapeshift, they'd gotten on a tangent about skin color. Earth was fascinating to her in that regard. Tamaran had no diversity in comparison. Every time she saw him thereafter, he was a different ethnicity.

Wonder Woman let her braid her long, black hair as she talked, offering few words in return. This was who she talked to most about Komand'r. Perhaps it was the fact that she was also a princess, or maybe because she looked so similar to girl Koriand'r remembered instead of the half-mad traitor she'd turned into. The older woman had been livid at her sister's betrayal, and it comforted her to know that someone else didn't understand the reasoning behind her planet's destruction.

Green Arrow made conversation, often talking about his 'pretty bird' and asking advice on how to woo her when Koriand'r got teary. There was also someone called Speedy, but, like Green Lantern's eyes, she wasn't supposed to talk about him to anyone else. It made her happy to be trusted and included in those little things.

Superman told her stories of Krypton, or, at least, what he thought Krypton was like. She found it difficult to talk to a man who knew nothing of his culture about hers. He smiled kindly, though, and tried to make her feel welcome. He also apologized for Batman, which she thought was sweet.

Hawkman and Hawkwoman had only spoken to her once, but it had been nice. They explained Earth from an outsider's point of view. It sounded awfully complicated and harsh. Too many countries, leaders, room for political disaster, and people like her sister. But it had its good things, too, Hawkman had said. Lots of open sky in the country, the League in America, music, food, and the _languages._ There were too many to list.

She'd believed all of them. She thought that the League was a collection of nice, if not cautious, heroes who wanted the world to be a better place.

Until Batman had interrogated her. Cold apathy and thinly concealed anger laced every sound and movement he made. When she didn't know something, he glared and told her to try harder. He wanted to know her powers, her weaknesses, who had attacked, how she could influence three separate people when that wasn't something she'd been able to do before, and a host of other questions that nearly had her in tears. By the end of it, she was speaking in broken sentences, Tamaranian slipping out of her lips before she could stop it.

Robin, she'd been told soothingly, was nothing like that. No one else in the League, either.

She kept that thought in the forefront of her mind as voices, both young and male, filtered through her door. It was the only one of the three that she had any control of, and so she wasted no time sprinting to the door from her bed and flinging it open.

Kid Flash greeted her with an honest smile, and Robin with an almost distraught look.

"I apologize for Batman," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I told him to lay off, but, well…"

Relief flooded through her veins, and, for the first time since meeting Batman two days previous, her feet lifted from the ground.

"No, friend Robin," she said, laying her hand on his shoulder like Flash did to her. "It is I who is sorry,"

"For what?"

"What I did to you, _both_ of you and Flash, after you showed me such kindness, is inexcusable,"

To her delight, they looked at each other and laughed. She loved human laughter more than anything else she'd been shown or told about. On principle, Tamaranians weren't humorless; she believed her royal upbringing prevented her from seeing as much joy as she could have. Certainly not the uproarious, carefree sounds that caused eyes to tear and shoulders to shake. Even so, she didn't see the humor in this situation.

"Don't worry about it," Kid Flash said. As the corners of his eyes crinkled, she noticed for the first time that they shared more in common than hair color. Something in her chest lightened. She wasn't too strange in appearance compared to humans, Superman had said, but Kid Flash was the first she'd seen with even some of her coloring. Hawkwoman did have orange hair, though.

"Seriously. Batman's superpower is making people feel bad for ridiculous things,"

"Like breathing," Kid Flash agreed cheerfully.

Their banter, as Green Arrow promised, was delightful. They grinned and poked fun and laughed and exchanged small touches easily. Their bond was palpable enough that Koriand'r could almost see phantom strings binding them together. In her mind, she pictured the strings yellow and red and tangled so completely that they merged into a glowing orange.

"Anyway, can we come in?"

Nodding excitedly, Koriand'r flew behind the boys in order to place her other hand on Kid Flash's shoulder. Still hovering, she squeezed softly to indicate that they should move forwards. The complied and, at her insistence, sat down on her bed while she floated sitting crisscrossed in front of them. Kid Flash grinned at her, a brilliant expression of contentment often mirrored by his uncle, and Robin's head tilted slightly to his left contemplatively. She returned the gesture, and his lips curved upward as well.

"Your hair looks different,"

"Oh yeah! It looks a lot better. Not," Kid Flash added hastily, not even waiting for Robin's elbow to make contact, "that it looked bad before! It's just, uh, cleaner?"

She giggled, and he looked relieved that she hadn't taken offense. "Much thanks. Miss Wonder Woman used the scissors to make it look more… neat,"

"You got a haircut from Wonder Woman? Awesome!"

"How many Leaguers have you met?"

These questions were nice, she decided. They weren't looking for anything other than honest answers. They wanted to know _her_ , not her story. They cared differently than the adults did. They wanted to be her friend.

Koriand'r smiled and imagined a thin strip of purple string intertwining with the orange.

* * *

He really liked Koriand'r. She laughed at all his jokes, even the ones that weren't funny, and agreed to help pin down Robin while he tickled him. Turned out that she's freakishly strong, too. That tallied up to: nice, good sense of humor, total kick-butt potential, pretty, and _utterly perfect._

Wally decided that he was going to marry her one day.

He and Robin had been talking to Koriand'r for only around an hour when someone came in through the door that had apparently never been closed. Whoops.

Hal raised an eyebrow at Robin and Koriand'r. The Boy Wonder was balancing on his hands, in the middle of some show-off trick. His cape had been discarded at some point, which was why Wally was currently wearing it as he jumped on his future wife's bed. Who, speaking of, was floating upside down next to his _best bro_ , legs still crisscrossed, her shiny red hair framing her beautiful orange face, laughing loudly as said _bro_ bent one leg and poked her side with it.

 _Bros_ don't mess with other bros' girls. That's not how it worked.

"Kid Flash!" she shouted, distracting him from Hal and screeching with joy as Robin did a fancy flip/cartwheel/bendy thingy that landed him sitting crisscrossed _on top of her._ "Come join us in the act of roughhousing!"

With a battle cry, Wally packed some speed into his next jump and catapulted forward. He was right on target, ramming into Robin and simultaneously grabbing onto him (because he would pretzel-bend his way out of it otherwise, he was _sure_ ) and taking them both to the floor. By some feat of Batman training and natural Robin-ness, Wally landed with roughly four feet of ninja on top of him.

"You underestimate my abilities," Robin grinned, cheeks flushed, hair sticking up wildly, and completely out of breath. Wally blew air into his smug little face and, in an act of final defiance, jammed his index fingers into his sides. Squealing, Robin hugged himself and toppled off of the speedster, coughing falsely, "Koriand'r, avenge me!"

"Friend Robin!" she wailed through laughter, flying to take his place on Wally's now unoccupied stomach. "I shall do as you request!"

"Not if you're…too…slow!"

Koriand'r got the same treatment as Robin, who also got a repeat performance because Wally was just cruel like that. Both were nearly in tears by the time he let up, smirking.

"You underestimate my _legit awesomeness_ ,"

He didn't notice Hal behind him until it was too late.

* * *

 _-that night-_

"Sounds stupid,"

" _What_? No, Roy, it was hysterical. I don't think you understood what I said. Green Lantern, intergalactic space cop, spent his afternoon being beaten repeatedly by three children,"

"Like I said. Stupid. Dumb. Boring,"

"But _you're_ a kid,"

"Does that mean I can have ice cream?

"After you tackle Green Lantern to the ground, sure,"

"Okay,"

"Wait. No, wait. Seriously. Roy. Roy, I was kidd— _get away from the zeta tubes!_ "

* * *

 **This took way too much time for its quality and content, I'm afraid. In my defense, I just discovered paganpunk2's Spark in the Dark series. It's an amazing, heartbreaking Robin origin story. Go read it now. Sell your soul. (of course I'm probably late to the party, it is like two years old)**

 **Thanks for reading! Prepare yourself for Kori backstory!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Long chapter to make up for the wait? Heh heh… my bad. I really did try to have this out by Friday, but some stuff happened and I wasn't in the mood. Also, Roy will come in again NEXT chapter, so** **Chooch77** **you'll get your scene then. Or, at least, some semblance of it.**

 **FangirlingIsAnAddiction:** **…Yeah. Batman had no clue…*awkward laughter***

 **WARNING: A lot of bullsh it. I mean seriously. I made so much sh it up. I'm sorry. Kori's backstory was too straightforward for me, apparently. Half-accurate comic stuff is probably going to be a thing. If anything is too outrageous and actually offends you, just let me know. I am your slave. I live to serve.**

 **WARNING: Gets a little graphic. Like bodies-and-borderline-torture graphic in the memory 'Tamaran— Its Fall'.**

* * *

The conference room in Mount Justice was as quiet as Flash had ever witnessed it while occupied. Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and himself were all gathered around the large table. No one spoke, not even Green Arrow, while they waited for a verdict from Martian Manhunter.

"I have collected all the data and recollections that I dare. I know that I have shared some of my previous findings, but everything has become much more clear. Koriand'r's meeting with Kid Flash and Robin was able to rid her mind of the residual pain clouding her perception," he said a few minutes later, tilting his head briefly towards the screen behind him.

" _But this freak over here,_ " Wally was saying to a confused Koriand'r, flailing his arms in a laughing Robin's direction, " _puts some_ weird _stuff on his. I mean, you'd think I'd be the one, but no. Boy Wonder likes_ pineapple,"

" _I apologize. Pineapple is a fruit, yes?_ "

" _Of course she doesn't know what pineapple is, KF. She's an_ alien,"

Flash felt sick.

This was wrong. They were using two children (including his own _nephew_ ) to essentially invade the mind of another child. He'd been the one to give Batman the idea, regardless of who put it into effect. When he'd said Koriand'r needed to be more comfortable with them in order to open up and Batman had come up with the plan, it had seemed logical. Besides, Koriand'r had agreed to let Martian Manhunter see into her mind.

Actually doing it, on the other hand, seemed like a betrayal of trust.

"So you know the whole story, now?" Superman asked. He'd been surprisingly acceptant of the plan, easier by far to convince than Flash in an odd disconnect from their usually similar viewpoints.

"I have access to entire event, yes. I am unable to just pull the answers you seek, however. That would require me viewing the memories I have obtained,"

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that…" Green Arrow said hesitantly, and Green Lantern hummed in agreement.

"Feels an awful lot like perving,"

Narrowing her eyes dangerously, Wonder Woman added, "Intruding on memories when it's not strictly necessary is not something I think we should condone,"

"You misunderstand. Viewing the memories is unlike viewing, say, television or even the security footage. The person whose mind is connected would, for all intents and purposes, experience that memory the same as if they were the ones living it,"

Ignoring everyone else's slightly disturbed gazes, Batman said in his infamous I'm-asking-for-confirmation-that-I-don't-really-need-but-you're-going-to-give-it-to-me-anyway voice, "The viewer would share the thoughts of the person whose memories they were seeing,"

"That is correct,"

"I see. When can you do it?"

"Right now. It doesn't take preparation beyond getting the memory itself and translating it, in this case, which I have already taken the liberty of doing,"

"No," Flash said immediately, face twisting in a scowl. "Just watching would be bad enou—"

"Could we view them as well?" Batman interrupted. "It's imperative we're all on the same page,"

"Batman!" Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and Flash chorused in the same tone of horrified incredulity. Green Lantern apparently decided to leave the convincing to them, focusing instead on the three laughing children on the screen. He followed his line of sight, heart clenching at what he saw.

Someone had muted the feed, but there was no mistaking the blatant joy radiating off of all three of them. Koriand'r, in particular, looked as though someone had given her the best present in the universe. And why shouldn't she? Robin and Kid Flash were nice, happy goofballs.

It was the first time he'd seen her laugh uncontrollably. Sure, some of Green Lanterns constructs, Green Arrow's stories, and a few of his own jokes had caused giggling and small bouts of laughter, but this?

"If we all watch the memories now, someone filling in the Hawks, Black Canary, and Aquaman later, would you stop being such a _phenomenal_ douchebag?"

"…Pardon?" Batman asked, the sole voice in the once again too-quiet room. Flash stared at his friend like he'd lost his mind, a look that was getting ignored as he crossed his arms defiantly. Green Lantern's legs were already propped up on the table, so he raised an eyebrow instead to convey just how unimpressed he was. Or something.

"You heard me. The rest of us don't have a problem with her, that's all you, _pal._ If I agree to get 'on the same page' as your miserable, brooding a ss, I want compensation,"

"Just what are you suggesting?" Batman's voice was tight with thinly veiled anger, but Green Lantern pushed on because he was just that suicidal. _Screw the Dark Knight_ , Flash could hear him saying to himself. _I can fly in_ space _. He's just a man with a creepy Kevlar fetish._

The pilot's voice was half-amused and half-furious, coming out in a strange mix between a drawl and a snarl. "I'm _suggesting_ that if we view these memories and there's no reason to suspect that anything is being planned, or whatever, by Koriand'r, we _let her the fuc k go,_ "

Four of the six superheroes were now gaping openly. Martian Manhunter was as hard to read as always and Batman just scowled harder.

"We can't just release her—"

"We'd have to find somewhere for her to go, sure, but if she really is just a scared little girl we can hardly keep her locked up indefinitely,"

"A willing family member of the League, perhaps?" Wonder Woman suggested, and Superman nodded in agreement.

"My parents already raised one alien, and I'm sure they'd be happy to take her under their wings,"

"We are not having this discussion," Batman growled, causing Green Lantern to wince. But hey, Flash had to congratulate him on his effort. Most of them were on his side, now, at least. "We'll talk about it _if_ she proves to be innocent,"

"Why are you so against her?" Flash finally burst in exasperation, rubbing his face tiredly. He'd been the one handling most of Koriand'r's breakdowns, and was already sold on her innocence.

"Seriously, man, what has she done to you?"

He wondered, briefly, why Green Arrow was all of the sudden so aggressive in defending Koriand'r. Previously, the archer had no qualms about abandoning people to Batman's misplaced wrath.

"She gave my son a panic attack,"

And _wow._ That was… surprisingly blunt. He didn't think he'd ever heard Batman outright refer to Robin as his son. This was either progress on the dark, moody loner front or ten leaps back. Robin had tangoed with the Joker; a brief panic attack, while horrible and unpleasant, had nothing on him.

"Batman," Wonder Woman said sternly as Superman sighed. "We've gone over this. That was an accident,"

"And what if a similar accident destroyed her planet?"

"If we do not hurry," Martian Manhunter interrupted, "we will miss the opportunity to view these memories. The children will not play forever,"

"Just take the compromise, Bats,"

A few moments of Batglaring later, he nodded stiffly.

"This will feel real," Martian Manhunter reminded them before Flash felt his mind brush against his own for a brief second. Almost immediately following the contact, everything took on a characteristically Koriand'r tint. Initially, it was like playing a video game. He was aware that the things he was seeing weren't actually being witnessed by him firsthand, but rather he was borrowing her eyes.

And then he _became_ Koriand'r, princess of Tamaran, and forgot about Barry Allen entirely.

* * *

 _ **::::TAMARAN— 758 DAYS BEFORE ITS FALL::::**_

 _ **AGE: 8**_

"Look! It's the princesses!"

"Princess Koriand'r, hello!"

"Congratulations!"

"Happy birthday!"

"Princess!"

"Do they have to be so loud?" Komand'r asked grumpily, slouching in her chair. It wasn't as lavish as her throne in the palace, but it wasn't plain, either. Dark, nearly-black purple fabric was draped across the stone, and the royal crest rested on top in ornate, silver swirls. Two of her escorts, one man and one woman, were flying beneath it.

"They're excited," Koriand'r said, smiling at her sister. Her own makeshift throne differed only in its significantly lighter shade of purple and that Galfore, her favorite attendant, was the sole person bearing its burden. "You should be too, you know,"

"Why? I've seen you fly plenty of times,"

"You know this is special!"

"It's just a silly tradition,"

"No, it's more than that. It's an assurance to our people that the royal line is still strong,"

The ceremony she was about to partake in was as old as the planet itself. Every time a member of the royal family turned eight years old, there was a giant parade through the Imperial City, the capitol, which ended at the Giant Tree. Once there, the celebrated child would fly as high as they were capable of in order to tie a lock of their hair in the branches. It symbolized both their debut into adolescence and their worthiness to rule.

Most Tamaranians were unable to do more than hover until they were ten.

"It's really not,"

"Komand'r!"

"Okay, fine. I'll cheer for you just like everyone else. Just… just make sure you make it past my mark, alright?" her request was unexpectedly soft and heartfelt, and a tinge of worry flashed in her violet eyes. It wasn't hard to figure out the cause.

"Father wouldn't punish me for not measuring up to you," Koriand'r said, waving her hand carelessly. "You've always been better than me when it comes down to strength,"

"It's one thing to fall behind on those types of things, but if the ugly, basta rd child were to beat the heir in a historic ceremony…"

"Please don't say that about yourself," she whispered, clenching her fist. "It's not true. Father loves you just as greatly as he does me—"

"That isn't exactly saying much,"

The sounds of ecstatic citizens cheering in countless languages faded into the background as the two sisters stared at each other. Komand'r looked hesitant and more than a little guilty, but Koriand'r's face was carefully blank.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

But both knew that she did, in fact, mean it.

Anyway, it was true. Whatever parts of his heart their father had given to them had long since shriveled into nothing but responsibility. It was okay, though.

They were sisters. They had each other.

And that was enough.

 _ **::::TAMARAN— 622 DAYS BEFORE ITS FALL::::**_

 _ **AGE: 8**_

" _Thirteen_?" Koriand'r all but shrieked in excitement, launching herself at her sister. She ignored the attempts made for freedom, choosing instead to squeeze the life out of the older girl. "You got thirteen languages on your first run? That's amazing!"

Despite herself, Komand'r smiled. There were hundreds of thousands of languages spoken across Tamaran; it was even encouraged that communities made up their own. It was the duty of the royal family to learn them all, since a Tamaranian's strength directly correlated with their linguistic ability. If someone wasn't able to absorb every single dialect, an open competition was held to find the next royal line.

Koriand'r knew three languages: the Common Tongue every Tamaranian was taught and the native languages of both the King and Queen's lineage. None of those had she absorbed, but rather learned the hard way through hours of study. Developing slightly behind schedule, she was still unable to acquire that knowledge with lip contact.

Her sister, on the other hand, had just _broken a record._

"I'm so proud of you!"

"I'm pretty proud of me, too," Komand'r laughed, the sound lacking its usual false undertone. Of her own accord, the red-haired princess pulled away and examined the other with a clinical eye. "Something wrong?"

"No. You're just…"

"Well? Spit it out,"

"You look like a queen," Koriand'r said softly, green eyes watering. She wasn't stupid. She knew that her sister, despite being older, was never going to rule. She was the product of an affair with a servant who died in childbirth; the number of ceremonies and traditions she was included in changed nothing. "You look lovely,"

"Yeah, well, this is the closest I'll get, isn't it?" Komand'r said bitterly, glaring at the purple and silver armor covering most of her orange skin. Purple eyes glowed, and identically colored starbolts flickered around her clenched fists.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said—"

"Don't bother, Princess," she spat, ripping the symbolic, beaded jewelry from her neck and wrists. Though replicas of the actual royal gems, they were still gorgeous.

Without another word, Komand'r tossed them in the air and incinerated them.

"Sister!"

"There wasn't any point to them anyway,"

"I was just trying to—"

"Koriand'r!" she growled, grabbing the younger girl's outstretched hand and pulling her close. Hesitant green eyes met enraged purple. The former were tear-filled for an entirely different reason than before, and the latter just narrowed threateningly. "I don't care about what you thought you were doing!" "Kom—"

"Shut up!"

"Komand'r, please,"

"I _hate_ you!"

"You're hurting me!"

For the first time, Komand'r seemed to notice that her grip had moved to her sister's upper arm. She gasped in horror, staring at the burn her starbolts had left. She let go immediately, covering her mouth when Koriand'r fell to her knees and clutched the injury.

"I- I didn't mean…"

 _It hurts_! Koriand'r wanted to scream. _Galfore! Help me, it hurts_ _so much_ _!_ Instead, she only cried softly, a few whimpers escaping her tightly pressed lips. She could feel the heat seeping from the blistering skin, smell her own burning flesh, taste the copper of her own blood as she bit her cheek.

Starbolts, at such a close range, were _deadly_. That meant that this technically qualified as an attack on her life, something punishable by death. If her father found out, he'd execute Komand'r, his own daughter, because _she_ wasn't the heir.

"Galfore," she managed to gasp, fresh tears running down her face. "He won't t-tell,"

 _ **::::TAMARAN— 365 DAYS BEFORE ITS FALL::::**_

 _ **AGE: 9**_

Her entrance was, in Koriand'r's opinion, unnecessarily dramatic.

At her father's signal, she rose gently into the air behind his and Mother's thrones and floated out past the balcony they were seated on. As instructed, she splayed her arms out wide in order to showcase how good the expensive, thin cloth looked flowing behind her, mixing with her long, red hair.

She felt exposed.

The soft purple fabric was virtually see through, her honor kept intact only by two pieces of armor starting at her chest and merging into one between her legs. Her bangs, which she habitually used to conceal her emotions, were pushed back from her face by a tall headpiece.

Koriand'r was numb. Komand'r was scowling. Galfore's eyes were flickering blue. Mother was crying almost imperceptibly. Father had apologized beforehand, but was now staring ahead in apparent pride.

As she halted her descent a mere foot from the stone floor, she noticed that none of her people appeared happy. Servants either looked helplessly angry or pitying, guards watched with dejected pride, and the honored guests wouldn't even meet her eyes at all.

"Princess Koriand'r,"

The speaker was a hulking mass of muscle attached to an unpleasant face. His skin was dark blue and unmarred; he was dressed in what was most likely his finest armor. It, just like him, was intimidating and huge. His lips, while forming polite words, twisted into something lecherous.

Koriand'r hoped fervently that _someone_ would stop this. She didn't want to marry anyone she'd just met, let alone such an imposing, cruel-looking man as this.

Some part of her had, apparently, still believed in fairy tales and story books and chatty servant girls talking about true love, because she felt it shatter into a million pieces as she took his hand.

Koriand'r decided on her wedding day that she hated the Citadel.

 _ **::::TAMARAN— 35 DAYS BEFORE ITS FALL::::**_

 _ **AGE: 10**_

She'd been married, and then her husband had left. That had been all. Galfore had hugged her with a vicelike grip back in her room, whispering apologies, consolations, and indiscernible promises of protection. It was in his arms that she finally allowed herself to cry— big, ugly, body wrenching sobs— and it was curled against his large chest that she fell asleep.

It had been almost a year, but her husband was back. And he was furious.

He yelled in his native tongue, voice low and guttural, shoving his finger into Father's chest and glaring heatedly at anyone who so much as scratched their nose. As per usual, Father reacted with nothing but stone-faced displeasure, but that only seemed to incense him more.

In a rare show of affection, Komand'r intertwined their fingers and squeezed reassuringly. Koriand'r was about to return the gesture when the blue-skinned man roared a final time and stormed out of the throne room.

The temperature in the room had dropped. Mother was unusually pale, and Father's eyes were wide.

"What," Koriand'r whispered to her sister, sounding out the unfamiliar word carefully, "is a _Manhunter_?"

"…I'm not sure," Komand'r responded, equally as quiet, but something in her voice fell flat. Before she could inquire as to why, her father stood up angrily.

"They threaten invasion!" he snarled in the Common Tongue. "We offered the Citadel one of our own, and in return they attempt to bully us? No. Tamaran will initiate this war and take away any chance of the backstabbing they no doubt have planned succeeding!"

The hold on her fingers tightened momentarily, and she looked up at her sister questioningly. Surely they wouldn't _actually_ go to war, would they? Father was just upset, right?

Against her will, a low whine crawled its way out of her throat and finally caught the older girl's attention.

"Hey, Princess, it'll be fine. They won't send you out to fight, or me, even. We're safe,"

Koriand'r blatantly ignored the excited gleam in Komand'r's eyes, choosing instead to take comfort in her words.

 _ **::::TAMARAN— ITS FALL::::**_

 _ **AGE: 10**_

Galfore was a tall, imposing man with the softest heart Koriand'r had ever known. His red beard was always split into three segments, the two outside braided and threaded with purple string she had given him herself last year. He was a fierce warrior despite his character, something that she admired, and was even in possession of the horned helmet that identified him as one of the king's finest men.

(He let her wear it, when they were alone in her room. She would giggle and he would laugh heartily. She could barely see under its weight, but he offered his arm.)

His eyes were a light blue, unlike any she'd ever seen, and his starbolts matched their shade brilliantly. She used to look in the mirror and wonder what she'd look like with blue eyes.

(Sometimes she pretended he was her father, instead.)

It was all of these things and more that convinced her that she was having a nightmare. Because Galfore, if nothing else, would not protect her to his death without waking her up. He'd want her to be able to run. He'd want to save her.

This wasn't real.

This _wasn't_ real.

Her chest tightened, her throat closed up, her eyes burned.

No.

This was _wrong._

She fell to her knees, ignoring the ( _notrealcan'tbereal_ ) blood that soaked into the fabric of her nightgown. She stretched out a trembling hand, caressing his cheek softly.

It was cold.

"G-Galfore?" a thin, broken voice whispered. _She_ whispered. "Get up, please,"

No answer.

His eyes were open.

"Galfore!"

Open and dull and dead and not smiling.

"I order you to wake up!"

This was happening, she realized suddenly. This was actually happening. This wasn't a dream. This had _already_ happened, hours ago, it looked like. The blood was caked in his beard. Dried on his skin.

She couldn't breathe. The air vanished from her lungs. She almost felt her heart stutter.

Koriand'r stumbled back, away from the body, away from _Galfore,_ and shook her head.

"No. No,"

She had to get out of here. She had to get away from this. From him. From the body in front of her room and _why hadn't someone moved it already._

As she stood up on weak, shaking legs, the blood soaked fabric brushed her skin. Sobbing, unsure of when the tears started, she tore her nightgown at the knee. Still muttering denials, she walked slowly backward, her eyes never leaving Galfore's dead ones.

Her bare foot stepped in something cold, slick, and wet.

She looked down and froze.

Blood.

There was more blood.

There was another body.

There were, in fact, a lot more bodies.

They covered nearly the entire corridor's stone floor.

Blood smeared against the walls, skid marks, scorch marks, crumbling rocks, _dead bodies,_ all Tamaranian, no sign of attackers, no wounded, only dead, no one left, she was alive, they were dead, _why was she alive—_

Unable to stop herself, she screamed until she ran out of breath. Then she hyperventilated until she could barely see straight. Then she screamed again.

And then she fled.

Everything was a blur and yet every body she passed seared into her soul like a brand, leaving her numb except the pain threatening to burn straight through her chest.

There was the maid who always smiled at her.

There was the guard who had helped her bind the wing of an injured bird.

The cook who gave her extra berries.

The boy who was the son of her tutor.

(Her tutor laid on top of his son protectively)

Everyone she'd known since birth, it seemed, lay dead in front of her. Why? What had they done to deserve this? What had _she_ done?

Koriand'r found her mother outside the throne room. She was pinned to the wall next to the door with a strange weapon that protruded from her abdomen. Her pretty, yellow eyes were wide open in shock and pain, and the ends of her red hair were soaked with her own blood.

Her father was face down in the throne room, wounds covering his back. His crown was missing. He'd died running away.

Komand'r was their father's throne. She seemed to be looking right at her sister, purple eyes too joyful to be dead. Koriand'r's sobs renewed themselves, and she once again collapsed.

"You always were a baby,"

The world froze as she tried to comprehend what was happening. Komand'r was alive? A small ray of hope unfurled in her stomach, extinguished when she made eye contact.

She wasn't upset at all. And her tone hadn't been weak or joking, but full of disdain. Her posture was regal and proud. She wore Father's missing crown.

Koriand'r suddenly understood far more than she ever wanted to.

"What have you done?"

"Something _despicable_ ," she said with glee, flying past three bodies in order to hover over her sister. Her eyes flared as she jerked painfully on Koriand'r's red locks. The acrid smell of burnt hair filled the room.

Koriand'r stared disbelievingly. Her hair no longer reached the back of her knees, but rather her shoulders. It was hard to breathe again.

"Why?"

"I've always hated your hair. The color—Father's—is repulsive,"

"Not my hair!" Koriand'r shrieked, tears rolling down her face again. "Our family. Our people. Why did everyone in the palace have to die?"

"Everyone on the planet, you mean?" Komand'r said cruelly, grabbing her sister's arm and hauling her to her feet. "Because you've been asleep a long time, _Sis_ ,"

Before she could even begin to process that horrible information, a purple starbolt slammed into her gut. She gasped in pain, doubling over, only to be kicked in the head.

"That's right," each word was punctuated with some sort of blow. "I sold out everyone. Your husband helped, by the way. I wanted nothing but the palace. They got everything else,"

Koriand'r felt the impact of her words more so than anything she was doing physically. She wanted to scream again, wanted to make it stop, but she couldn't do anything but cry brokenly.

"I killed Galfore, your mother, and Father myself. Others too, but those three? That was deliberate. And I. Made. Sure. It. Hurt,"

"Stop," she managed to whimper. Blood trickled out of her mouth. Something inside her literally shattered. She could feel it poking through her skin.

"You're going to die slowly, knowing that all this happened because of you, and I'm going to watch the light fade from your eyes,"

Koriand'r didn't think she'd have to wait long. Her body was in agony almost as strong as her soul, and every miniscule movement provoked a new wave of it. Komand'r was shouting something, enraged, but everything was fading. Maybe she was dying too quickly.

Then she saw, felt, and heard nothing. It was peaceful. Nice. Almost like sleeping, but not quite. Every thought was hard to grasp, slipping through her fingertips like air. There was something important, something to do with her sister, but she couldn't remember…

"Wake up," a soft voice said, far more present than any of her other thoughts. It only made sense to listen to it. It was a nice voice. Obediently, she opened her eyes.

She was lying down, her head in a woman's lap, looking into the face of someone clearly not Tamaranian. Her hair was long and purple, her skin a nearly colorless grey, and a purple diamond rested on her forehead.

"Shhh, Koriand'r," she said, leaning down to kiss her own forehead in the same place that was occupied on her own. The spot tingled for a few seconds before the sensation faded. "I've healed the worst of your injuries, but you still need medical attention. Remember that, okay?"

"Who—"

"My name is Arella. I'm here to help you. I have some special powers, some that you'll be able to tap into for a little bit. You're going to use them to get far, far away from here,"

Arella helped her to her feet, directing her to a blank, stone wall. The woman's hand glowed with black energy, and when she placed it against the grey its color spread. Slowly, the black faded to reveal a strange place. There was green terrain, and a dark sky. An unfamiliar silver disk hung among stars she'd never seen before.

"Go. You must walk through it,"

"I don't—"

Her mind still felt foggy. There was something that should be bothering her, something about her home, but she couldn't remember what it was.

"Your memories will return after your health is restored. I'm sorry, but I fear you wouldn't survive otherwise. Please, just trust me,"

"I-I do," Koriand'r said, frowning slightly. She didn't know why, but for some reason she could sense that Arella was being honest, and that she really wanted to help. Giving her one last confused look, she stepped into the odd image shown on the wall.

For a brief second, everything came crashing back. All the bodies, her sister, _everything_. But then it was gone again, replaced with fire, distant screaming, and shouted questions in a language she didn't understand.

* * *

Green Arrow returned to himself abruptly, mouth dry and hands trembling. Shadows of the girl's thoughts and emotions pressed against his skull, faint echoes of a deep pain not his own. His eyes, he noticed, were still squeezed shut against visions he had no right to see. He took a deep breath, exhaling shakily, and opened them with great effort.

Across from him, Flash's head was bent double in his chair, his face in his hands. On his right, Green Lantern shook his head numbly before he leaned forward and started whispering to his friend. Flash looked up at him, nodded, and was gone.

He didn't, Green Arrow noticed, appear on the screen showing the three laughing kids.

Wonder Woman was hugging herself, fingers digging into her own flesh, extremely pale. Sisterhood, he remembered, was sacred to her people.

"Why hasn't Batman snapped out of it?" Superman asked hoarsely, wincing at his own voice. A large hand dragged wearily down the side of his face.

"I have elected to show him an extra recollection. His own interrogation of the girl," Martian Manhunter's voice was calm and unaffected, leaving Green Arrow looking at him in amazement. He'd witnessed the same things they had, right? How was he so unaffected?

"The intensity of what I have just shown you… I apologize. I felt it best if you received the memories as they were. I forget, sometimes, that humans are not used to sharing experiences this way,"

Green Arrow's reproach faded into horror. _This_ is what it felt like to be inside someone's mind? And the League _asked_ him to do it as though it were nothing?

"J'onn," Wonder Woman said softly, her expression stricken. She too, it seemed, had grasped the alien's implications. Green Lantern groaned.

"We're horrible people," he said.

"My friends," Martian Manhunter smiled, "this is simply the weight of my abilities. It is like this for every Martian, regardless of occupation. We are, as a people, joined together almost constantly. Experiencing the pain of another, while unpleasant, allows us to understand each other far more completely than humans. Your guilt is appreciated, but not required,"

"Koriand'r is… innocent," Batman said suddenly, biting out each word as though they pained him. Green Arrow jumped, startled at his input.

"When the hell did you wake up!"

"Christ, Bats," Green Lantern grumbled, clutching his chest. "A little warning next time?"

"Since everyone is in agreement," Superman said, inclining his head towards Batman, "we need to figure out some sort of long term plan for Koriand'r,"

Everyone, it seemed, was doing their damnedest to not dwell on what they'd seen.

Oh god. The blood. All that blood. Breaking bones, screaming, why, _sister, why would you—_

"Before that," the Dark Knight said, crossing his arms. "Where is Flash?"

"I saw him leave," Green Arrow offered, managing to keep his voice steadier than he thought he would. God, his head was killing him. His chest, too."I assumed he went to go smother the poor girl, but, well, he didn't show up on the Creeper Cam, so…"

"He went to go talk to Iris," Green Lantern announced, leaning back in his chair. His sneer was paper thin and his lip was bleeding from where he'd bitten it.

"Iris?" Batman frowned. Superman, on the other hand, was sporting a small smile. A small, watery, pained smile.

"Don't tell me…"

"Yup," Green Lantern grinned (falsely), popping the 'p'. "Something tells me the redhead count in the Allen household is going to be three-to-one, soon,"

"As great as I'm sure that's going to be, are every single one of you going to ignore what we just heard?"

"Look, dick, you're going to have to be a little more specific,"

"Tamaran fell because Komand'r betrayed it, yes, but who did she betray it _to_?"

Surprisingly, it was Green Arrow who answered. He usually tried to stay out of the constant fiasco that was Green Lantern and Batman in the same room, but he had noticed this particular thing as well. Now that his mind had cleared, he'd been trying to sort through everything he'd heard and had gotten stuck on one detail.

"Manhunters. Or, at least, someone who had contact with them,"

Green Lantern sighed, "So you heard it too, huh?" and fiddled with his ring. "I was hoping I misunderstood,"

"Lantern," Wonder Woman demanded, "why is it that we go our entire lives without knowing about Manhunters and now they're suddenly popping up everywhere?"

"Rudy West was found out to be a Manhunter spy after he nearly killed his son. Said son is one of the people who then find an alien girl whose planet was most likely destroyed by those same creatures. The odds of that happening are ridiculous,"

"Batman—"

"What aren't you telling us?"

"Bats, listen,"

"Lantern!"

"Listen, okay!" Green Lantern yelled, and Green Arrow winced. It was hard to get the other man actually angry, but a surefire way to do so was imply his disloyalty. And since Flash wasn't here to calm him down, this could turn ugly fast. "I honestly didn't have any idea what was going on until the Citadel was brought up,"

"Citadel?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Hal," Superman said, raising a placating hand, but it was ignored.

"The Corps stay out of the Citadel's way. There was an incident forever ago, I don't know the details, but it was more trouble than it was worth. The Corps gave up the Citadel and its whole universe, and in return, the Citadel was to never stray from its new boarders. If there were any Manhunters left after all these millennia, and there are as we now know, then it's not a large jump of logic to see that that must be where they're hiding,"

"You're telling me," Batman said, his voice rising with every word, "that not only did the Green Lantern Corps _create_ horrific machines, but that after said machines revolted they both failed to destroy them all, which is bad enough, but also gave them an entire _universe_ that they could use as a base of operations?"

"Look, if they accepted _me_ into their ranks I don't know why you're surprised at their less-than-stellar problem solving skills,"

Green Arrow's headache was back with a vengeance. Couldn't they just shut up already? He shared helpless looks with Superman and Wonder Woman before standing up. _I can't,_ he mouthed to Clark. _They're insane._

Outside the meeting room, he saw Martian Manhunter messing with some tech thingy.

Huh. He hadn't even noticed J'onn had left. Just because he was used to the sensations, he reasoned, didn't mean that those particular memories were fun.

Not convinced that he wouldn't be called back into the meeting room after Wonder Woman knocked some heads together, both males hovered in the hallway just outside. It was a companionable silence, with the alien fiddling with what looked to be half a TV remote now that Green Arrow was looking closer. The archer leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh.

Koriand'r had to be amazingly resilient to laugh and play so naturally after witnessing what she had. Granted, they were drugging her at night (her first conscious twenty-four hours in the mountain had been spent bawling her eyes out and screaming in denial) so it was possible the lack of nightmares helped with her moving on.

He tried to imagine himself in her situation, but found that despite technically living through it he couldn't.

Imagining Roy was terrifyingly easier. Maybe it was the hair color.

He shuddered, imagining those god-awful screeches tearing themselves from his ward's throat. He may have only known the boy a few months, but he really did care for him. Underneath his tough-guy exterior, he was genuinely kindhearted, though he'd rather shoot you in the face with an arrow before admitting it.

"I am modifying this television remote for one of my nieces," Martian Manhunter said out of the blue, giving him a rather pointed, yet indiscernible, look. "She enjoys watching movies from Earth. They are all old ones, but as long as the wiring is adapted to function in a much hotter climate, the electronics are able to function. I gathered this not from her telling me, but rather by picking up her interest in Earth and finding a way to help nurture it,"

"…What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Subtext is often more important than what is actually said, my friend,"

"I'm afraid I still don't follow,"

"Hmm… I believe this is one of your sayings. Imitation is the highest form of flattery,"

 _Oh._

Green Arrow cleared his throat awkwardly before saying, "You, ah, you know about…?"

"Children tend to occupy one's thoughts frequently, and the emotions they provoke are among the strongest. If you are worried about me telling anyone, I will not,"

"I'm not ashamed of Roy!" he defended quickly, even though the Martian had suggested no such thing. "I just... Batman has the freaky ability to plan weeks in advance and figure out a solution to nearly every problem as soon as it comes up. Flash can be anywhere almost instantly, and Kid Flash isn't a slouch either. I _know_ Robin is prepared as well as humanly possible, and Kid Flash is under strict instructions to run away if _anyone_ in the League tells him to do so. Me? I just show up when sh it goes to hell. And then I shoot trick arrows at it and hope it works. Roy's only thirteen. _Thirteen._ I'm not an adequate trainer. I'm, quite frankly, an idiot. I took him in because he was so _angry_ and had so little and I thought that since we had similar hobbies, because let me tell you, the _natural talent_ on that kid is ridiculous, I could help him. But he found out who I was, what I did, and I'm terrified I'll wake up one morning and he'll have snuck out at night and gotten himself killed. Oh, for the love of, sorry, man, I don't know what happened, I didn't mean to dump all this on you…"

"If it is not too intrusive a question, why have you not talked to Black Canary about your dilemma? You work in the same city, and her hand-to-hand combat knowledge exceeds probably even Batman's. And I was under the impression that you two were… an item, so to say,"

Green Arrow winced and scratched at his mustache nervously. _If an item consists of admittedly borderline sexual harassment until she finally agrees to a pity-date..._

Without warning, the door to the conference roomed slammed open. The telepath closed his eyes, and the archer had to fight to keep his breathing under control.

"I don't give a damn about your scones!" Green Lantern screamed into the room he'd just left, breathing hard. His ring was flickering, no doubt responding to his strong determination to kill the Caped Crusader without actually killing him.

…What even.

"…Hal?" he tried weakly, taking a step back towards Martian Manhunter when the man transferred his unhealthily bright eyes onto him. His holier-than-thou smirk had been replaced with a crazed grin, and Oliver Queen was suddenly very _very_ worried. "What's going on, pal?"

"I'm gonna go play with some kids!"

"Um,"

"I'm gonna catch Boy Ninja by surprise, I'm gonna convince Kid Hero-Worship Green Lantern is _way_ better than anyone, and Baby Princess is gonna love me more than any of you losers!"

"I'm not sure—"

Green Lantern flew up to him faster than he thought possible, his face inches from his own, and he whispered with far more ferocity than was necessary, "Is that clear?"

Nope. Green Arrow was out. What the _fu ck_ had Batman _done_?

"Go get 'em," he feebly said, giving him a shaky thumbs up.

"What a good friend you are, Ollie," he said without moving. "When you're not abandoning people to Batman's wrath,"

Green Arrow was gonna die. He was gonna be killed because of Batman. Prick.

And then Green Lantern was gone, a faint green glow disappearing around the corner the only indication of his departure.

"The amount of inmates in Arkham Asylum make more sense, now," Martian Manhunter said, a faint note of clarity ringing in his usual expressionless voice.

 **I feel like this chapter is 16 pages of either hit or miss ;n;**

 **But seriously I have no clue where half this came from. The chapter was supposed to start with the memories. That whole MM/GA Roy-talk was not planned. GA/BC subplot is now apparently a thing. Is this going to turn into a novel? At this rate, probably. Abandon ship while you still can, guys.**

 **In case anyone was wondering, Arella is Raven's (supposed to be human whoooooops) mother. I put her in there because I needed someone with Raven-like powers to help Kori get to Earth. Raven herself will probably not actually appear, but I could be persuaded.**

 **IMPORTANT: So Dick x Wally is going to be a thing, but what about other couples? Any requests? Since most of the cast has yet to make an appearance I can work a lot of things in. Hell if anyone is hardcore Jason x Kori I could probably do that. Roy could be Aquawife. Snaibsel? Supermartian? TimKon? I'm open to like anything. And I'm rambling. Sorry.**

 **Next chapter: redheads unite!**


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